The Eternal Twins
by G O G E T A 9 0 0 0
Summary: Dropped in a random Galaxy, on a random Planet, with no memory of how he got there; sixteen year old Ben Tennyson is without his Omnitrix and stranded when he's taken under the tutelage of the former Jedi, Ahsoka Tano. After the recent execution of Order 66, they're both on the run from the Empire and Darth Vader himself. Can Ben train to defend himself without his watch?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

Changed the title to "The Eternal Twins," recently and I just want to distance myself from the story involving the Old Republic "Eternal Twins," that go by the same name and are featured in very popular cinematics from the Star Wars: Old Republic video games/ this story does not correlate with that one at all.

**Jakku; 17 BBY**

Twin suns pierced the veil of peaceful slumber that he dwelled deeply within, an odd sleep where he felt like he wasn't anywhere for a brief time, until the light startled the young teenage Ben Tennyson from his unconscious state, sitting up and holding his head, he sighed as this had become par for the course in the last year since putting the Omnitrix back on. He stood up, dusting off his jeans as he looked around and noticed he was in middle of absolutely nowhere, dunes of drifting sand in every directions with heat so blazing that mirages formed in the distance, he immediately noticed the intense heat ravaging him from above, more than even the hottest summers, darting his head up at the sky to investigate.

"Last I checked Earth only had one sun… so I guess I'm on another planet," he placed a hand over his brow to cover his eyes for shade as he squinted looking for any sign of civilization as he turned in any direction, "I don't know how I got here but, this should be no sweat for Jetray, I'll just dip into hyper-space and…" he pulled the green sleeve of his trademarked jacket back only to realize his watch was missing from his wrist.

"The Omnitrix?!" he gasped and dropped to his knees without hesitation, shifting and digging vigorously through the sand where he woke up, clawing at piles of sand for a minute or two before looking back towards the blaring heat up above which would soon roast him alive, "It's not here… and if I stay in this heat any longer I think I'll pass out..." he thought of all the survival tips Grandpa Max and day-time television had taught him about being stranded in a desert, which wasn't much to go on.

He removed his trademarked emerald jacket and held it over his head for shade, he turned in a circle, picked a random direction, and started walking as any guess would have the same odds of succession with his lack of intel on the planet he was currently on. He painstakingly walked for hours in the blistering heat, he felt like his sneakers might belt in the sand but, it wasn't something he could risk taking off. The only notable life he saw were some alien creatures flying toward him from the direction he was headed, that was a good sign of food or water in his path, or so he remembered from a documentary he once watched. He continued to walk, occasionally removing his sneakers to empty them of sand, he felt like he was on a treadmill with a moving background, going nowhere and making no progress until both suns had set, what he didn't realize was how the temperature would drop; he was lucky that the lack of light pollution from civilization gave him plenty of star-light to work with. He quickly found shelter near a small cave, hardly the size of a large van but, good enough for one person to rest; he didn't want to think of who or what created a solid rock structure in the middle of dozens of miles of sand, so he focused his attention on the sky, he couldn't find any familiar patterns or constellations that he recognized from his Solar System. He laid the jacket over his lap for warmth and emptied his pockets; he managed to fall asleep with three dollars and some loose change, two paper clips, a rubber band, and his plumber badge in his pockets, the badge being in his jacket as it toppled into the sand along with clumps of lint.

Ben smiled with a bit of luck on his side, "Having the Omnitrix on me all the time almost had me forget I owned one of these," he grabbed it and looked over it for a second, dusting the sand from it as he tapped the faceplate to activate it, as it hummed to life and illuminated the cave bright green at his touch, "Contacting any nearby plumbers, this is Ben Tennyson sending an S.O.S, can anyone hear me?" He received nothing but static, which was curious as there were usually Plumber outposts every few hundred lightyears throughout the Galaxy, it should pick up the signal; he opened the galactic positioning system but only received an error code, "This can't be right… if the locater can't pinpoint where I am, I must be outside of my own Galaxy! Only someone like Vilgax or Albedo could be behind this, but why drop me in the middle of nowhere, why not just kill me?" he pondered for a moment until he realized nobody was around to answer.

He quickly realized he was talking to himself far too much, although; it _was_ therapeutic when forced into such isolation on a foreign planet. He couldn't start a fire as there was nothing to spark but sand for miles, he tried to stay warm with his jacket and shelter but, only barely managed to do so until the sun came up only four hours later, with twice the number of suns, the length of days clearly shortened compared to Earth.

He wasn't one to panic in times like these; he'd been in situations with _much_ higher stakes than getting lost in an alien desert, which he _had_ done, and he'd adjusted to more dangerous terrain before but, he had the _Omnitrix_ almost every one of those times but, he knew wherever he was in the Universe, someone would eventually find him. It's not like he'd be stuck out here forever, there was a Sumo Slammers episode on tomorrow night that he _couldn't_ miss. He wandered almost aimlessly for so many hours he was wondering when Ship would come blasting in from space to rescue him but, as the sun went down again after another long unbelievably hot day, it never happened; he thought maybe Gwen would appear and use a spell to teleport him away and to safety, back to his bed and his pillow but, that never happened either. He was just beginning to lose hope he'd ever see anything other than sand ever again, figuring he'd pass out from exhaustion in the next day if he didnt find some source of water or food somewhere, he didnt have the energy to avoid tripping and toppling down most dunes of sand once crossing them, only to find a nigh-infinite set of dunes to lay before him.

He continued his trek through the desert at first light after the sun had gone down once more, it was cool for the first hour or two but, as the suns rose to the middle of the sky, much quicker than on Earth, so did the temperature rise with it. Becoming a scorching wasteland once again, not even a stray cactus to cut for liquids, he'd all but wrapped his head in his jacket to conserve moisture; another hours and he had lost all energy, collapsing to his knees, and crawling through the sand towards the top of the next dune, which he feared just might be his last.. He was shocked when he poked his head up to find a small town made of huts and shacks, the population couldn't have been more than a hundred but, it was more than he'd seen since he'd arrived; there were town folk walking around, mingling among each other. The first sign of civilization in days was truly a sight to behold, he tried his best to get over the dune but tumbled down the sand, tripping and collapsing into a heap at the bottom. He stood and shook it off as quickly as possible, taking deep breaths as he was malnourished and parched, he noticed two warthog-like alien creatures drinking from a large pale and nearly threw up in his mouth, however; the thirst consumed him entirely and rushed him over dunking his head into the mucky water.

He immediately came up for air and looked around at the alien towns folk who looked for a minute or two before moving on, he turned suddenly and vomited the contents of his stomach, but as he looked back at the floating water, he couldn't resist dunking his head one last time, the bubbles floated up as he took gulps and felt like throwing up again, "Oh, wow, I never thought I'd be so happy to be drinking pig-water…" he wiped his face as well as possible when his stomach rumbled for the tenth time.

"Excuse me?" He tried asking one octopus-like alien that walked on tentacles but, he simply ignored the human as walked right by; "I was just wondering if," another beady-eyed reptilians creature kept walking without even looking at him, "Guess I'm on my own after all..." putting his hands on his hips and adjusting his back, he glanced around at the town with a sigh. Most of the natives didn't seem to mind him, they went about their business only taking notice for a few seconds at a time, a mix of aliens and humanoids lived relatively harmoniously or at least that's the way it seemed at first. He knew he wasn't anywhere near Earth as he didn't recognize even a single species out of the common shop goers of the small bazaar, and he'd studied dozens if not hundreds of different species at one point or another.

Something caught his attention when he turned around to face a scene taking place by an old shack, "Get moving, I won't tell you a second time!" Three men clad in white and black armor held rifle-like blasters up toward a child, seemingly an infant, with their fingers on the trigger as she raised her doll up in front of her face, "Lord Vader wants all force sensitives captured or executed, which do you prefer?" another announced through his helmet.

"I just want my mommy!" the young girl shouted and clutched her toy-doll close to her chest, closing her eyes and turning away with tears in her eyes.

Ben looked around and still not a single person took notice, the ones that did averted their eyes, he wasn't necessarily at full health but, he could still do something; there was only one person watching that cared at all to intervene, and she was sitting hidden beneath a cloak behind them both; keeping her eyes on the scene. He looked around and grabbed a wooden broom lying against the pale of water, snapping the sweeper off its end and spinning the now wooden-staff in his hands.

"Hey!" Ben shouted as they turned at the sound of his announcement, "pick on someone your own… size?" as they turned and aimed their rifles up at his chest, he realized they were all nearly a foot taller than him, buffer than him, and all equally so actually.

"Step away or we will open fire!" One of them announced taking aim through the scope of the blaster as Ben didn't seem worried about their threats in the slightest.

Ben scoffed with a cocky grin, hands gripping the staff tighter, "Your funeral…"

"That's it, ope-" he was cut off as Ben didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence before he slipped under their sight-line faster than they could react, using the broomstick to literally sweep two of them off their feet and onto their backs, turning upwards to quickly smack the blaster out of the third troopers hands with the pole, turning gracefully to smack him across the helmet. Ben reached for the discarded blaster but, one of the knocked over soldiers grabbed his ankle and pulled him down to the ground, as he tried to kick himself free, the one still standing punted him in the stomach with his booted foot for good measure before retrieving his rifle from the ground, aiming it down at them.

Ben slowly got to his knees again, this time between them and the child with his body protecting her, "Sorry, but if you want the kid you go through me," they all aimed their weapons at him without hesitations as their weapons hummed to life, a crimson light illuminating the inside of their rifles, "Please don't go through me…" the cloaked figure noticed something in him, something worth saving, she wasn't sure why she acted to save him but, she did regardless of the risk.

She stepped from behind, tapping one of them on the shoulder as she spoke, her facial details hidden by the cloak, "Excuse me," she said with a soothing voice, one of them turned and trained his weapon on her but, she didn't fear it in the slightest.

"This is none of your business, move along!" He shouted at her with a rude and enraged tone.

She lifted her hand upwards, her skin was a reddish-tint from what Ben could tell from his point of view, as her fingers waves through the air, she spoke monotonously, "These two have done nothing wrong," she stated it as though it were fact as they lowered their weapons slowly.

"These two have done nothing wrong…" they were suddenly convinced she was right, all three lowering their weapons completely to their side.

"This was a waste of time; you should move on," she insisted, her lips glistened beneath the cloak, a maroon shade that Ben couldn't take his eyes off of as he felt whatever she was doing to them in waves, it could me magic like Gwen and Charmcaster's...

What appeared to be the commanding officer scoffed and pushed one of his subordinates in the shoulder, "I told you this was a _waste_ of time, let's move on," he announced as they turned away, walking towards another house as with that she lowered her hand back hidden beneath the cloak, everyone forgetting the altercation altogether aside from Ben.

She turned around to walk away but, Ben followed after her, reaching out and grabbing her arm lightly as he was completely out of breath using the last of his energy to fight the three soldiers on his own, "Hey, wait, how did you do that!?" he practically shouted allowing her to tug her arm from his grip.

"You were being noble, so I did the same; just forget this happened and continue your journey…" she said with a gesture of her hand and turned away but, was surprised when he didn't even seem effected by her force touch in his mind, not even bothered by it.

He followed behind her for a bit, "That's just it, I have _no idea_ where I am… the map I have isn't even from this galaxy! I need _help_," Ben sighed exasperatedly before gaining the energy to slowly circle her until he was face to face with her as she pulled her hood down to cover her features, "If you want to hide your appearance that's okay, I just need directions..." his stomach audibly growled in front of them both, "And maybe some food."

She felt an overwhelming urge to trust him, like there was a powerful light erupting inside of him, waiting to be set free and she could only see the tip of the iceberg, something was special about him and she just felt it so, she let go of her hood to show him her face. Her entire body matched the complexion he'd seen on her skin earlier only, her face had white tribal markings, spreading down her forehead and over her eye brows individually with matching patterns on either of her cheeks; her head was covered by white and blue tendrils which looked a lot like hair but, more organic as they hung passed her chest, either way she was quite beautiful in his eyes at least, he'd seen a lot of aliens-species in his time as a hero and he'd never seen one quite as plainly _attractive_ as her, "My name is Ben Tennyson, maybe you've heard of me?" he expected at least the name to be recognized.

"I haven't," she didn't shake his hand and attempted to pass him but, he politely stepped in her way, trying to keep the one person who would talk to him here until he could get some sort of answers.

"I stopped the Highbreed invasion, saved the Galaxy a few times...?"

"Oh, wow! that was you?" She asked with an excited smile for a second, not actually showing much enthusiasm though as he nodded vigoursly, her expression returned to a more stoic approach as she responded, "I'm kidding, I still haven't a clue who you are, I must be on my way," She glanced over at the troopers who were wandering the town square.

"Man, I _really_ must be far from home," he put his hands out to stop her, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm stranded on this planet by myself, do you have a space ship or maybe you can point me in the direction of some alien air-port?" he gave her his best smile covered in the dirt and sand of the last forty-eight hours of walking, "Maybe somewhere to lay down, at least?"

She looked him up and down, noticing his foreign clothes and odd messy brown hair, pulling her hood down around her neck revealed her features more prominently, her piercing blue eyes practically stared through his emerald jeweled eyes as she scanned him visually before closing her eyes, taking a step closer with a hand out, "You have an oddly strong connection to the force… are you... former Jedi?" She whispered the last part to ensure the other towns-folk wouldn't hear her.

Ben blinked a few times, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "Connection to the _what_? I can barely get interstellar connection… and I have no clue what a jed-ai is…"

The woman folded her arms in disbelief, noting his ability to fight off three clones, even if briefly, "You must be joking? I saw you handle those clones… and you weren't effected by my- never mind..."

Ben shrugged and responded to her question as well as he could, "I've been taking self-defense classes since I was eleven, and I _don't_ like bullies," he patted his jeans down from the sand and dirt that still pretty much covered him before looking up at her, the sun-light glistening off of crystal-blue and emerald-green eyes looking into one another for the first but, likely not the last time.

As she took a few seconds to stare, their eye contact was broken by Ben's stomach growling again loudly, "Have I mentioned I haven't had anything to eat in over twenty-four hours?" he scratched the back of his head, recalling the last thing he ate was a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich before bed two nights ago; she rolled her eyes and glanced around, "Alright..."

"What?"

"Follow me, I can give you a place to sleep and a hot meal," she passed him, following a path away from the town, taking her time at a casual pace towards the outskirts of the tiny village where a small ship was docked with had a layer of sand and dust across it, signifying that it had been stationary for quite some time. Sprouting from the ship was a large tented area, several pouches for catching rain, a large carpet across the ground kept the sand from being too much of a nuisance.

She used bricks to form a circular fire-pit where she could contain the blaze in the center of the rug, it was surrounded by empty crates covered in junk and old broken parts for her ship, noting that she was somewhat of a mechanic as he moved large wrenches and bolt-cutters off one of the crates to use as a seat of his own; She sat down and grabbed an old lighter from her pouch, "Hey, at least I recognize something around here!" She flicked the red switch on the silver hand-held 'lighter' igniting a yellow plasma blade, around the size of a butter-knife, "By the expression on your face I'm guessing you were mistaken," she lowered it to the pit after pouring in a good amount of lighter fluid with a smile, igniting the fire-pit for warmth and shutting it off as the blaze immediately settled the cooling desert air.

"So, not from this star system, huh?" She asked as she pulled a burlap sack from behind her, pulling out dead chicken-like animals and piercing them with sharp-ended sticks to roast over the fire.

Ben gave a long sigh and looked up at the visible stars in the sky, totally foreign constellations and moons, "I don't even think I'm from this Galaxy," he turned his attention down at his tattered sneakers, "I have a map of where my home planet should be and none of the constellations match up," he patted his jacket and reached for his badge but, ended up patting himself down as he no longer had it on his person, "Awe, man, I must have dropped it when I was fighting those goons! I have to go back for it…" before he got up, she spoke up.

"Don't bother, its been almost half-an-hour, its _definitely_ been scavenged by now…" she skewered another one of the bird-creatures as she bit into her own, roasting the second one as she but off a chunk of meat, chewing slowly as she stared at the fires stoically.

"Already?!" Ben was shocked but, she didn't surprised at all.

"It was shiny and bright green, trust me, it's gone…" She swallowed the meat and took another bite, waiting as the second one roasted, and chewing vigorously on her meat. She was intrigued by him, he certainly wasn't like any boy she'd ever met before, and she wasn't totally sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Ben slapped his knees out of frustration, looking back up at the stars for a moment, "You _saw_ it and just let me leave it? Why didn't you say anything?" He held his hands out in total wonder while she stood for a second, leaning over to hand him the roasted bird as food with a calm smile, as he looked it over for a moment it reminded him of his Grandfather's cooking.

"The little girl you defended? She picked it up, with something like that she could afford three maybe even five rations, plus, if it was so important, you wouldn't have forgotten it," as he took a bite, it wasn't half bad although he did need to pick a feather from his teeth causing him to shutter at first but, hunger consumed him as he took another bite... Ben's expression softened.

Huffing, he closed his eyes as he chewed, swallowing with a sigh, "There goes my life line; you wouldn't happen to know about the Plumbers, would you?" he asked with a raised brow but, she only gave him an even more confused expression than he gave her.

She raised her brow, lowering the meat from her mouth as she gave him an odd glance, "Galactic communicators are incredibly common but, I _must_ be mistaken, are you talking about restrooms?" She almost laughed a bit but, controlled herself and her composition.

He sighed and chuckled, realizing that's the expected response, "No, that settles it, I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore, or the Milky Way..." he stared up at the sky until he had finished three of the birds with a satisfied pat of his abdomen, looking back at his companion whom strung up the alien meat to be cooked around the fire, the flames emanated a dancing shadow across her face, "I'm sorry… what was your name again, I think I forgot?" he asked slowly as he couldn't help but be infatuated with her.

She hesitated for only a moment, curving a confident smile, "That's because I never gave it to you; you may call me Ashla," she turned her attention back to the meat, taking one of the skewers to chew on and allowing him to notice she had a very dull set of fangs that were short but, it seemed cute on such an innocent looking woman.

"Okay," he responded, catching her a bit off guard, "Ashla… or whatever your real name is, I appreciate everything you've done for me so far..." Ben knew he was given an alias but, if that was what she was comfortable with, who was he to question it; maybe in some time, he'd get her real name but, for now they both stared up at the stars, watching them glisten and twinkle in the dark sky.

His eyes met hers once again across the fire, this time it was the dancing fire that cascaded light across their two uniquely bold eye colors; she saw a fire in his eyes, a determination of sorts... it was confidence but, well placed enough to intrigue her, "You look exhausted," she noted calmly referring to his tattered clothing and exhausted expression, he'd only spent the last days awake and walking, "I can help you review some star-charts I have of the outer rim of the Galaxy, perhaps we can find a route to get you home."

Ben finally let the exhaustion hit him, getting as close to the fire as possible to warm up, "Hey, so whats a Jedi? And the… uh... force?" Ben's eyes were staring into the open flame for some time before glancing back up at Ashla, who only gave him a reassuring smile in response.

"The force is a galaxy-spanning energy field… its existed since time immemorial and nobody knows how it came to be," she demonstrated her abilities by lifting one of the metal-pokers through the air and into her hand telekinetically, using it to poke at the fire as the wood crackled in the red-hot flames, "The Jedi became the protectors of peace and order… or at least that's how they _started_, I was a Jedi Knight myself once before…" she cut herself off, she couldn't even speak as she choked on her own words.

"What?" Ben looked up into her eyes and saw the look of pain, suffering, and betrayal as he watched her see memories in her own head, the night that everything changed, her dual with Mual... he warned her and she didn't listen but, it was all to much so she calmed herself.

Regaining her composure, she brushed a hand down her Lekku and stared away at the sand, "All you really need to know is that there's a Galactic Empire ruled by the most sinister and cruel people in the Universe," she continued by grabbing a stick of meat for herself, taking another bite out of it, "Anyone who crosses them, dies," she said trying her best not to think about it.

"Lord Vader, is he like the boss-battle?" Ben chided trying to cheer her up a bit noticing how hard it must be to talk about whatever had happened, he could tell it wasn't easy.

"His name is _Darth_ Vader, and this conversation is over; I'll help you with your maps in the morning," Ashla narrowed her eyes, standing up as her crate turned over behind her, she quickly approached the ship as getting on board retracted the platform into the door closing it behind her; he was left in the cold as the temperatures dropped, he sat as closely to the fire as he could/

"Good talk!" he grabbed another alien meat-stick and took a chunk out of it with his teeth, looking down and trying to ignore the cold gusts of wind, "Ignoring the scales, this isn't half bad…"

Her ship had windows which she could see Ben from, curling up as close to the fire as possible after finishing his meal; she narrowed her eyes again only this time, with a concerned expression, he was so innocent and strong willed, and she hadn't felt a connection as _strong_ to the force since her late master, this couldn't possibly be a coincidence but, she couldn't get involved, she wouldn't…

…

The next morning, Ashla's ship waited until an hour or two after dawn before opening up, the show platform descending into the sand allowing her to step out; she walked into the tarped area and found Ben still by the fire only, it had gone out long ago, and he was reading her Jedi-texts which she kept hidden in a port below her ship.

"How did you find those?!" Ashla announced with authority rushing over to him as he jumped at the sound of her voice

Ben was obviously startled by her sudden outburst shouting from behind, so absorbed into trying to read the texts that he didn't even hear her approach until she announced herself as he dropped the book and scattered loose papers written in alien languages on thousand year old paper across the carpet, "Sorry, sorry!" he knelt as she rushed over, kneeling down in front of him picking up the scattered texts, he gathered the obviously very old papers gently as to not tear them, Ashla got to eye level with him and helped collect what he dropped, "I just kind of… felt it, I thought they were your 'star-charts' but, I don't see any sort of coordinates anywhere in here…" she looked up into his eyes and again she felt a strange connection when bright-blue met bright-green eyes once again, there was something she couldn't explain attracting her to him, however; she didnt let it break her composure.

Once they'd collected the papers all back into its ancient binder, they realized how close their faces were causing Ben to immediately back away, only because he didn't want her to get the wrong idea and when he saw her skin from up close he noticed how flawless it was which caused the heat to rise to his cheeks, she backed away as well only she kept her composure far better than he did; staying totally calm as he cleared his throat, she only raised her brow not sure of what he was doing in the slightest.

"These are… ancient Jedi texts," she forget the interaction and glossed her hand over the hardcover with a reminiscent smile, recollecting the secrets held between the covers taught to her by the masters of the temple as she was growing up, "The same ones I was taught by many years ago…" remembering her time as a Padawan under Yoda and... Ben interrupted her thoughts when he perked up a bit, catching her talking about her past.

"So, you _are_ a Jedi then? You talked about it in past tense earlier… I figured maybe you retired or something?" Ben leaned against the stone tablet that he was looking at the scrolls on earlier, waiting for an answer as she bit her lower lip just thinking of the that night.

Ashla gave a long sigh and with it let out all her negative emotions including the tension that was clouding her judgement, "I did… but I spoke in past tense because the Jedi order no longer exists," she grabbed the textbooks from his hands and made her way back to her ship as Ben trailed behind her, walking towards the compartment where he'd gotten the scrolls.

"Something bad happened… didn't it?" Ben asked as he picked up on the context clues pretty quickly, her tone of voice had shifted and she avoided eye contact when she said something about it, "You don't have to tell me... I wont pry."

She looked over her shoulder at him, giving a half smile, as she placed the books back where he'd gotten them and pulled out a long scroll half her height shutting the panel quickly and turning around to face and approach him, "I have the map here," she took a breath as she gestured for him to move, force pushing him lightly off the stone tablet he was leaning against.

"Hey!"

Dusting off the large stone adjacent to her camp sight, she unraveled and laid out the sheet which was painted blue and noted all of the populated sectors of space through out the know Galaxy, thousands of different Star Systems with intelligent life, "Here we are," she flipped through a few sheets that basically zoomed in on the planet they were on, pointing down to the chart and turned to him and when she did she noticed their shoulders were touching after he'd gotten up and settled himself, Ashla rolled her eyes and took a step to the right to avoid it.

To clear the tense air Ben quickly responded, looking over the charts extensively for several minutes, "I don't recognize any of these planets, I don't see any sign of Plumber outposts either… my badge couldn't even pinpoint a star-system," he brushed his chin trying to think, looking through a different set of charts as Ashla raised a brow.

"You used that word again, what does toilet maintenance have anything to do with-" she was interuptted when Ben chuckled and turned to her

"What?"

"My bad, I should totally have realized the confusion; where I come from we have an intergalactic police force that monitors alien activity on at least six thousand planets with sentient life; from what you say they acted kind of like your Jed-ai guys… keepers of peace and all that," he looked back to the maps as she narrowed her eyes at him, he flattened the map a bit and looked over different constellations.

"You said that device you lost was your badge?" Ashla asked.

He turned his gaze to her, raising a brow as if he'd forgotten about it already, "Hm? Yea, I guess it was, why?" Ben never really needed to use the badge as he could show any Plumber his wrist and they would know him on sight and his clearence.

"You were a part of a police force?" She questioned as if astounded, taking a step forward and looking him from the ground up, "But, you're so… so…"

"Handsome? I get that all the time…" He chided with a wink.

She gave a coy half-smile, not letting him break her composure in the slightest, "I was going to say _young,_ how long have you been in service...?"

Ben chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess since I was ten years old, went on a sabbatical for about five years, now I'm back in action," he looked out at the twin suns slowly rising into the sky above him, the temperature quickly increasing, "Or I was at least..."

Ashla folded her arms in disbelief, raising her brow at him, "I mean I was the biggest hero of them all, I aced all of my exams even though I really didn't train too hard, I stopped invasions and saved people from villains," he started listing things off from memory almost forgetting the most crucial part of any of his stories, "I even had this device, it would allow me to change shape into different alien species… but when I arrived here in _this_ Galaxy... it was gone," he held his wrist up and she noticed his tan line clearly lining a thin wrist-watch now missing.

"So, this _magical_ device transformed your body into different aliens? How does that work?" Ashla chuckled in disbelief, going along with his insane story.

Ben slapped the star-chat with one palm and pointed another finger to the air, "I have _absolutely_ no idea," he lowered his arms and turned to face her, "But, I do know it's _not_ magic, it's science, really advanced science," he wasn't even close to someone who could give a rundown on how the a complex device like the Omnitrix worked.

Ashla put a hand on his shoulder, taking a step forwards and biting down on her lower lip before speaking, "How did you say you found my texts again?" she asked randomly.

Ben looked away as her proximity caused heat to rise up into his face, "Y-You mean the old books? I don't know, I woke up before the sun… _suns _were out and I just-" he tried his best to explain it but, it wasn't a thought or a consideration that he took before opening the panel, "I just..."

"Felt it calling to you?" Ashla finished with a slight smile, looking back at where she'd locked away the texts, before looking back to him staring deeply into his eyes.

He raised his brow and took a step back, his face turning even more red than it had before, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're reminding me of someone I once knew," Ashla referred to her former master but, shook her head trying her best not to think of the tragedy that surrounded that story.

Ben sighed as he glanced back down to the star-charts that heeded no viable results, "Well, I don't see any way of getting home from here, but I have to keep trying," he placed both hands on the stone, taking his eyes off of Ashla and looking down at the charts, his determination and the fire in his eyes was remarkable to say the least.

She gave a small smile before grabbing a cloak from a hook and throwing it over her head, it draped over her montrals and disguised her Lekku as well, "Stay here, work on getting home, I'll go for food and water and be back in a few hours," she noted as she grabbed two metal sticks, silver eleven-inch, uniquely designed sticks that she strapped to her belt but, Ben pretended not to notice.

"Okay," he called out as he watched her walk away, she was almost off the grounds when Ben spoke up, calling out to her, "Hey… Ashla!"

She turned to him and raised a brow expecting him to need something else but, instead he simply gave her a goofy grin and waved, "Thanks for all the help!" For the first time since they'd met, she felt heat rise to her cheeks and run across the bridge of his nose, as even though he was a stranger he was very endearing and quite charming at times, she turned around with the cloak to cover her face and just gave him a thumbs up as she kept walking, keeping her nonchalant attitude as she sauntered off into the wasteland.

Ben spent two hours scouring through a dozen different charts of the outer-rim of the Galaxy they were currently on and found nothing familiar, being so far out of range that there wasn't a single Plumber out-post in sight, he didn't expect this situation to be so dire and so he took a break, sitting down he leaned against the stone platform and wiped the sweat from his brow, noticing the incredible heat only increasing as the day went on, "I miss air conditioning…" He stood up and moved toward the fire pit, taking a small pouch from the side which had limited water, he was instructed to be very frugal with their amount of water as it costs a lot of money on a planet like this.

He tipped the canteen to his lips and took a small sip or two of cool, refreshing water; it was blasted out of his hands suddenly, splattering it all across the rug, on instinct, Ben ducked under another blast he assumed would attempt to be a head-shot, rolling to a sprawl behind the stone tablet as they blasted top shredding the charts into flames, another shot took a chunk out of the stone he used as cover. He grabbed a rock and tossed it out into the open watching as it was blown to pieces immediately, "Okay, at least one of them and shooting on sight, wonderful. Where's the Omnitrix when you need it…?" he spoke to himself trying his best to formulate a plan.

Ben considered his options carefully for a moment and decided on throwing several rocks in the opposite direction of the ship he was adjacent to, giving him a distraction, which would allow for a safe dive for cover behind the ship. He quickly acted without thinking, initiating his plan and tossing the rocks in the opposing direction, and they _were_ fired at but as Ben dove for cover he was still blasted in the abdomen, severely injuring his side as blood started soaking the ground at his feet.

He crawled for cover, placing his back against the ship as he heard not just one but two or even three sets of footsteps approaching him from both sides, they were probably all armed and he had no weapons or abilities, no Omnitrix, no magic... he was all alone, "Not how I planned to die but, then again I guess whatever happens... happens," he stared up at the twin suns above him, glimmering in a bright blue sky that had stars just barely visible behind them and a planet that seemed huge from his perspective but, was likely a great distance away. Four alien men approached in strange armor aiming their weapons at him, yelling in an alien language he couldn't understand, they weren't the clones from earlier but, an individual party that was interested in him for some reason; it didn't matter he closed his eyes and faced the sky where he felt the heat of the sun on his skin.

Ben wasn't expecting her to return so soon but, he heard screaming as two thundering steps landed after using the ship behind him as a spring board, he kept his eyes closed as he lost blood at a rate he wasn't sure he could keep count of, he listened for the sound of a buzzing energy, humming and swinging through the air as the men shouted and blasted at her, he heard small ricochet explosions in the dirt around him, he peeked one eye open as his vision blurred, he noticed one of the men had been cut down by Ashla wielding two glowing blue energy blades, like some form of laser-sword.

The alien thief screeched and fired his smaller side-arm weapon as she effortlessly deflected each of the three blasts he managed to get off harmlessly into the sand, gracefully dicing apart his weapon as she ducked under a desperate swing and side-kicked him with a powerful kick that sent him skating through the dirt on his back, thirty feet away.

She force pulled him off his feet, raising him up by the neck as she questioned him, dropping him at her feet so he could breathe but, not hesitating to aim her buzzing blue energy blade at his throat, "Why have you come here?" she asked in a demanding tone, narrowing her eyes down at him.

He answered in his own tongue, an alien language that Ben couldn't recognize nor care about but, Ashla seemed to understand it totally and utterly loath whatever he said, she did not what he had to say but still, she deactivated her weapon as they vanished into small handheld hilts which she strapped to her belt, recognizing them from earlier, "Get out of here," she said as she simultaneously ripped the rifle from his the hands of a one of his already dead companions and aimed it at him, "Go!" she demanded firing his own weapon at his feet, blowing a hole in the ground, scaring him into running off into the desert.

"That was amazing, Ashla, but I think I might... i think I-I might…" Ben, who had forced himself to stand, fell onto his side leaving a trail of blood across the back of her ship as he slid down, she tossed the gun aside without looking and quickly came to his aid, looking over his wound and seeing it would obviously be fatal; she knew there was only one option she could think of, she closed her eyes and held her hands over the wound, focusing her energy on his life force in him and surrounding her, an ancient technique know only as force healing, his body recovered quickly as he gasped a breath of air.

"You are full of surprises, Ashla," Ben noted as he looked over the bloody hole in his shirt, but feeling his flesh had totally restored itself after being blasted apart, what an incredible ability to heal; he noticed though that it took quite a bit out of her, clearly exhausting most of her energy to pull the technique off successfully.

Ashla thought about what the bounty-hunter had said before running away, "Well, so are you apparently," she stood and held her hand out, letting him grab hold and stand himself up, stretching his newly healed shoulder, "That wasn't just any mercenary, it was a bounty-hunter hired by someone in the Empire, he said something about your _latent_ potential, ring any bells?" she asked as Ben shook his head.

Ben sighed and looked down to his empty wrist, the tan line was slowly starting to set with his skin color and soon it'll be like he never had it on in the first place, "Nope, there's absolutely nothing special about me now," he looked around for a moment and folded his arms, thinking about what he'd learned about his family in the last year, "Well, come to think of it I am _technically_ like a quarter Anodite."

"A what?" Ashla questioned as she led them to the entrance to the ship, Ben keeping his eyes off of two corpses of the attackers that she couldn't manage to set free before they tried to kill her.

Ben sighed and tried to explain his family lineage, "My Grandfather was a human but, he married my grandmother who was an energy being known as an Anodite, although, my cousin is the one who _really_ had the 'spark' or whatever, so I never inherited any powers," he tried to explain as best he could but, he'd only met his grandmother less than a year ago and this was all incredibly new to him even still, "I'm still not totally sure how any of it works..."

Ashla giggled a bit at his comment, clearing her throat, "You think maybe being part of this energy alien is why they're after you?" they approached the fire-pit as they continued their conversation.

Ben put a finger to his chin, thinking deeply only for a few seconds, "You said you sensed a strong connection to that force stuff you were talking about," he turned and looked at the sand in his shoes, he reached down and grabbed them taking them off one by one to empty them, "Maybe I didn't get Anodite abilities where I come from but, maybe being part alien makes me special _here_ somehow…I dunno," he seemed more annoyed at all of the sand and his ruined clothes than anything else.

"Does this not alarm you, like, at all?" Ashla watched him empty his shoes for a moment as he shrugged back at her, putting them back on for warmth considering it was getting dark again soon.

"Nah, I've faced way worse… one time I had to eat a dwarf star and then blew up a mountain with it," he recalled his fight with the Negative Ten but, remained completely serious the entire time spite how crazy it sounded, "There's obviously a larger story there but, you get it," Ben waved her off and put both shoes back on

"I really don't," Ashla took a step forwards and grabbed his shirt pulling him up to eye level with her to focus his attention, "If I send you out there on your own, you'll be dead in a week… you have no way home, and I have nothing but hiding to do," she proposed an alliance of sorts as Ben half-smiled, noticing that they were exceptionally close once again as she watched the heat grow across the bridge of his nose.

"What? Why are you turning red?" Ashla kept his collar clutched while feeling his forehead, "You don't seem to have a fever...?"

Ben chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Nothing, I guess I'm just... blushing," she dropped him as her eyes widened for a moment, having not realized at all his intentions.

"Why?" Ashla asked with a raised brow as he got to his feet, dusting himself off again.

Ben chuckled with a genuine smile, "Of all the aliens I've met, in several Galaxies, you're the most attractive one... that I've met..." he tried averting his gaze from her as for the first time, her own cheeks heated up spreading over the bridge of her nose as well, clearing her throat and shaking her head quickly, she continued her point, "Oh... well, you have a strong connection to the force, since we seem to be of similar goals... perhaps we could travel together?"

"Well, I do eventually have to find a way home but, for now I'll take any help you can offer," Ben nervously rubbed the back of his neck, happy to take her up on her offer, as generous as it was, it still left something unexplained, "Wait, what does traveling together have to do with my _latent potential_ or whatever..." he put invisible quotation marks around the words as he still wasn't sure what it meant for him.

"What if I told you that I could train you to use this weird gift you've been given, I could help you harness the force," Ashla placed a hand firmly on his shoulder, steadying him as she gestured to the stars, "The Galaxy is a dangerous place pretty much no matter where you go, so I could teach you to defend yourself," she rubbed her arm a bit as she wasn't sure why she wanted to help this lone cute boy so badly.

He smiled in return, grinning as he placed a hand on hers on his shoulder, "Of course… so how do we get started?" he noted as she yanked back her hand quickly, trying not to show him her blush.

...

She turned back towards her tented hut and removed her cloak, tossing it on a large stone, "First? You get in the ship and take a shower… I can smell you from here."

He sniffed his own armpits and shrugged, "Fair," he walked toward the ship and saw it opening for him for the first time, it was small and run-down, it had one bunk with a thin mattress, if it could even be called that, a bathroom including a small shower; he felt like he was in a very small motel with a cockpit up front.

"And after I smell tolerable?"

She sighed, "Story time, if I'm going to train you there are a few things you should know," she walked out of sight and allowed the ship to close behind her, he could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife.

He washed nearly two days of sweat, sand, and blood off his body, but their water was limited so, it only lasted five or ten minutes; when he exited the shower with a towel draped around his waist, he found a set of dark green robes waiting for him but, it wasn't exactly his style. He used his black t-shirt and jeans and threw the robes over them to help with the temperature drop; he exited the pod and stepped out where he noticed Ashla had started the fire and was sitting beside it.

Instead of sitting across from her, he decided to sit on the same large stone as her, only a few feet apart, "So…"

"Story time…" she responded by telekinetically pulling a wooden stick from a bundle she'd collected, she gripped it and poked at the fire, "Like I said, the Jedi were once an order of peace keepers through out the galaxy but, there's more to it than that. The force is incredibly powerful and it has two halves, one of light and one of darkness," she took a breath and faced him, tossing the stick into the fire, "Those who embrace the dark side of the force are known as Sith, and very recently they staged an all out war, conducted a coordinated attack on the Galactic Republic, and took political control turning it into a Galactic Empire…"

"Wow," Ben said after nearly a minute or two of silence, "Well, what happened to all of the other Jedi's?"

She paused, staring into the fire as if recalling traumatic memories, "They were all hunted down and murdered… the attack started by using brainwashed troops to turn on their comrades but, then _he_ appeared…" she could hear the sound of his ominous respirator, "Darth Vader."

"Dark…" Ben muttered, "I'm guessing this guy is the one who handled any survivors…"

Tears formed in her eyes but, he couldn't possibly know how to handle the situation, she pulled a small orb from her belt, it was a hologram which played a clip of a young-man, in his early twenties, wielding a blue saber much like Ashla's, deflecting blasters and fighting off an army of droids, "I was taught by one of the bravest, most powerful Jedi Knight in the order, the chosen one meant to balance the force, or so it was foretold, I guess."

"He looks amazing," Ben watched the footage and then turned back to Ashla, "I guess it didn't end well…"

She looked back up at him, "I heard rumors that he was the last one standing in the Jedi Temple when Vader cut him down with a dozen younglings…"

She was startled almost by his placing a hand on her shoulder, he didn't say anything, he just held her, something he didn't realize would be as helpful as it was, she smiled and wiped a single tear from her cheek, "The worse news is that if the Empire has already tried to assassinate you, they'll try again only harder…"

"What do we do?" he retracted his hand and looked back toward the fire, "I'm pretty sure we're sitting ducks here."

"Very true, which is why we'll be leaving Jakku first thing in the morning."

"Man, my sleep cycle is way off… I've only ever lived on one planet before so," he chuckled and looked away, "So, if this Vader guy finds us… can you beat him?"

"I don't want to find out," she responded as she stood up once again, "Besides, I'm going to take you on as my apprentice, I've gotten pretty good at hiding from the government in the last few years so, we should have plenty of time," she sauntered back to her ship and opened the platform.

"Ash, why are you helping me?"

She stopped, looking off to the twin setting suns, "I believe in the force and I believe it has put you in my path for a reason, you are special, in how many ways is yet to be seen," she gave him a slight wink and started boarding her ship, "Oh, and my real name is Ashoka… Ashoka Tano."

"Nice to finally meet you, Ashoka," he gave her a smile as she disappeared within the small ship.

"Any chance I could join yo-"

"Nope." The platform slid closed like a door slamming in his face.

"Worth a shot," he muttered.

…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**1 Week Later**

Yavin

Ahsoka watched through the window how the energy cascaded around them as the ship exited its faster than light hyperspace travel just outside of the gravitational pull of a massive gas-giant planet, much like Jupiter in Ben's native Solar System, it even had its own ring of several dozen moons, one of which was large enough to sustain life on its own, with massive forests encompassing it.

Ben noticed how she was lost in thought, staring out into the unknown as she narrowed her eyes down at the planet, "We didn't we come _all_ this way just for a single planet, did we? I mean we must've passed hundreds on the way…" Ben muttered as he adjusted his new robes, drying his hair from a fresh shower with a hand towel, he managed to get relatively comfortable with his new travel companion, enough that he didn't mind sharing such a close space with her, although, he was still forced to sleep on the floor.

He was lucky that Ahsoka's ship had a device to wash his clothes with a set of advanced laundry machines, which he couldn't describe even if he wanted to, built into the wall; tearing and reworking his emerald jacket into a clothed belt, keeping his black and brown robes together with his jeans below the waist. He was he grateful that he'd worn his comfortable pair before being kidnapped, or teleported, or hypnotized, or whatever evil method was used on him to drop him to die in a Galaxy he could never escape from. He could only wonder what awful machinations the villain who started this must have going on back home, the guilt of not being there frightened him and gave him nightmares for at least the first few days.

Ahsoka took a breath and exhaled before responding, "Yavin Four is a jungle-moon, its full of flora and life, it'll help with your training…" she quickly took manual control of the ship and directed it so that she could land it properly on a plateau or flat area, "Also it happens to be one of the last, least dangerous planets along the outer rim of the Galaxy," the ship slowed down as it approached the ground from forty-thousand feet.

"Right, hiding from the _Empire_; it's been a week and I'm still not used to saying that," Ben took a seat in the co-pilot chair and buckled himself in watching as they descended towards the green and blue marble; most of the technology he'd seen so far was beyond more advanced than what the Plumber's had, and eons from what Earth was capable of; what he learned to call light-sabers were easily level thirteen tech or higher in his planets standards. He wanted to get his hands on a lightsaber of his own but, apparently it's not such an easy task to acquire one these days, most were collected and burned by the Emperor... destroying them so that he and his apprentice would be that much more powerful.

He was still deep in thought, staring out towards the planet as it grew in size in his perspective; Gwen, Grandpa, his parents, his aunt and uncle, even Kevin and his friends from school, he might never see them again and there wasn't much of anything he could do about it, and this wasn't the first time the thought dawned on him, at first he thought this would be a simple solve but, as he grew more accustomed to being stranded, he realized he may never make it home. He wasn't much of an astrological expert but, the distance between two galaxies is already incomprehensible even for hyperspace. Jetray could have easily flown him home in a matter of hours or days but there were too many variables like the Omnitrix's time limit to consider... the Aerophibian species could move in the billions of times faster than light range, it seemed the average ship he could find around here, even some of the faster ones, were only in the thousands of times 'FTL' range. The fact that it would be a miracle if Jetray could get him home meant not a single ship anywhere on any of these planets could ever do the trick either. On top of that he didn't even know which Galaxy he was in or if he was even still in his own Universe. So many things have happened to him since he reattached the Omnitrix and became a hero again, the last thing he thought would happen was having it removed again, after the first time, he figured only Azmuth would be able to remove it but, now it was _just_ gone…

Ahsoka turned to look at him as he stared out obviously in deep thought as well now but, she could also feel the guilt and grief of pain flowing off him in waves. She could hardly see it on his face, he surely put up a good social-mask when she questioned him about it but, he was depressed and defending his emotions with a wall around them wasn't healthy. Ben seemed fine but, she could sense the impending fear that was brewing in his head that could easily turn the immense light she sensed into a powerful darkness.

He was startled a bit as she placed a palm atop his hand, relaxing him as he turned to look into her eyes, "It's okay, I know what it's like to leave everything you knew behind _unexpectedly_, I promise I will help you in any way I can," he watched her glistening eyes as they reflected the beauty of the planet that approached from the front; he waited while she watched the ground get closer and her smile, it was so reassuring and confident. Ben barely knew anything about her and yet these emotions were already telling him so many different things, not necessarily things a teenage boy shouldn't be thinking about sexy alien warrior women but, confusing emotions none-the-less. They'd done math which Ben used to calculate himself that she would be almost twenty years old if she went by Earth years making her over three years older than him… They spent hours with nothing but their company to keep them occupied, talking for hours about their lives and how they ended up on Jakku. Ahsoka told him that she was born on a small world across the Galaxy which she didn't remember very well before being recruited by the Jedi as a toddler; she was stubborn and compassionate about almost _everything_ they discussed no matter what the topic was but, neither had the guts to share their more intimate histories yet.

Ben tilted his head with a bit of confusion, "How did you know I was-?" Ahsoka turned to wink at him with a light giggle before looking back to the glass to guide the ship, "The force, right, almost forgot why we were heading here," he chuckled as he turned his own eyes back to the gorgeous planet as they descended, "It does look like a beautiful place..." he noted as the greenery became more detailed the closer they got.

Ahsoka tightened her hand still clasped around his, "Your first lesson is balance," she released his hand and placed it back on the steering wheel, focusing back on the landing as they approached the ground slowly, "There's the light and the darkness, you have to find yourself in the middle, a sort of grey area; the will of the force will always guide you toward peace," she closed her eyes, keeping manual control, this meant that she was still in control of landing as she let the force guide her, this startled him for a moment, as he gripped his arm-rests in fear.

"Maybe wait till we're on the ground to give me lessons!"

Ahsoka didn't listen to him keeping her eyes shut and finding peace in the darkness of her inner mind's eye, reaching out into the cascading field of life around the ship and through-out space in all directions as they approached the planet slowly, keeping perfect trajectory and descending towards a dense wilderness country with hundreds of miles of forestry in all directions and still managed to find a small clearing in the trees only about the size of a football field. Her lips curved upward even as her eyes remained closed, the ship slowed down and landed, docking in a patch of dirt in the grass cleanly and without turbulence.

"Remember, balance is key, the will of the force will always guide you toward peace…" She opened her eyes to glance back at him with a confident grin, knowing without even looking out around her that they were safe on the ground; Ben on the other hand was stunned, "You just have to let it," she finished with a wink, she looked back to the clearing and flipped a few switches on the dashboard, shutting down the engine as the pilots seat spun and she stood.

Ahsoka reached for a lever on the wall next to her seat which locked the ship down to the ground as a proverbial emergency brake that made their ship a small housing or efficiency. Walking away without another word to approach the loading bay, he was left stunned by her confidence only staring to bask in her illuminating grace; Ben was very young and had only just started to get to know Julie and they'd barely gone on a single date that didn't get interrupted by some alien event, so he didn't feel in the least bit guilty for being attracted to someone else. Even bound by the confines of the ship, he still slept on the floor next to her bunk and was usually close by her, he could have made a move and surprised he hadn't yet but, it wasn't like he was out here _looking_ for a new girlfriend.

"I can feel you staring," Ahsoka announced with a casual smile as she untied some gear with her back still facing him and her head looking down, and her eyes still scanned the materials she was unloading from a small crate near the back of the ship.

Ben shook his head and stood from the co-pilots seat, walking passed her and towards the platform as it lowered into the dirt below, "Right," He announced nervously, "I'll just start setting up camp then, gathering fire-wood and what-not…" he gave her a thumbs up with one hand and pressed down on a red button, like he'd done a few times before, opening the hatch allowing him to walk into the open forest.

A browned over leaf crunched under his sneakers as he put his hands on his hips and sighed stepping into the field they'd docked in, watching his breath billow out in front of his face, the brisk air chilled his nose as he still wasn't used to the different atmospheres of each planet he visited. They would need a fire by nightfall if they or rather _he_ wanted to be warm that night as he didn't expect her to suddenly change her policy on him sleeping outdoors after only a week. He strolled out of the clearing and into the trees, picking up severed wooden sticks and bark for burning material.

Ben noticed a long branch at his feet and turned back to look at the ship, noticing Ahsoka had her back turned to him as she unloaded a large rug from the ship, dropping it on the grass and kicking it so that it unraveled on its own with a space in the center for the firepit they would make. He glanced back down to the stick he had his eye on and reached his hand out, mimicking what he'd seen his companion do on several occasions closing his eyes and focusing with a deep breath in as the cool air filled his lungs and the mist from his breath fogged up around him. Looking out into the forest without the sense of sight he tried his best to feel what had been described to him over and over the past six days. He'd tried before on one or two occasions but, never amounted to anything successful in regard to actually connecting with or feeling _anything_ foreign until now, as he casually left his hand out, draped over the air loosening his fingers, he realized there definitely was something else there, something everywhere around him.

Ben's right eye twitched as he felt the light side of the force, the harmonious energy described to him that was in all directions around him; in every leaf on every tree, in every seed in every fruit, within the peaceful woodland alien-creatures roaming the forests for miles, and in each grain of dirt at his feet and throughout the planet below. There was something else that he felt the moment he made the connection though, an opposing energy of equal raw magnitude and even greater allure. Only now he could sense nothing but the malice of the predators of the planet that wandered, the poachers that roamed for bounty on the country side with the violence they bred, even all the grief and pain Ahsoka was keeping hidden within herself, the guilt and regret she hid from him and _herself_ every day was like an aura that he could sense surrounding her. Just like with the light-side, the magnitude of this dark abstract energy was nearly infinite as it stretched out through the planet and into space around them. As he reached out into the force, he failed to realize without a guide that it was a two-way street as, something or someone had sensed him like a beacon.

Ben opened his eyes and took a deep breath, all was dark and silent, he turned towards the campsite that was being built and the ship was gone along with his friend in an empty field some thick mist drifting in from the trees, when he turned back, he was frightened intensely by the sudden appearance of a dark figure before him, tumbling back landing on his back and crawling away in fear. The silhouette that stood before him was shrouded in darkness as if it were night out with no stars in the sky but, his black helmet gleamed a bit in the moon light, with the ominous noise of a mechanical respirator slowly exhaling and inhaling, suddenly a flash of crimson ignited as he revealed a bleeding red lightsaber.

Ben nearly had a panic attack as his heart rate skyrocketed and his breathing increased in pace, the figure stared down at him with a furious expression forever emblazoned on his helmet, gasping as he was suddenly whisked away, back to reality before the figure could swing down at him where Ahsoka stood directly in front of him grabbing his shoulder, "Ben!?" he gasped for air and fell back into the dirt, for real this time getting an odd sense of Deja vu.

"Who was that… _what_ was that?"

Ahsoka knelt down next to him with a concerned expression, "You were standing here with your hand out for nearly five minutes, did you try to reach out into the force?" his eyes were slightly lost as he looked out into the forest behind her, as if seeing something vividly in his memories.

"I… I just was just trying to move the sticks, like you did… I didn't know… was that _him_?" Ben looked up into her eyes as she narrowed hers down at him, crystal blue pools of reflective gloss softening as she realized what he'd seen in his vision and sighed.

He felt like he might throw-up as Ahsoka stood up and approached the campsite that was still very much constructed behind them, "What you saw was a force vision, something Darth Vader is very proficient in using to find powerful force users that survived Order 66… I have something that you should know," he rolled over onto his side and stood, hobbling towards the campsite behind her as she sat down on the bunk in her ship inviting him to sit with her, which she only rarely did. "Last week, that bounty hunter that made the attempt on your life said more than what I told you; I may have _understated_ how sensitive your connection to the force is," she glanced away almost as if a bit envious or perhaps a bit ashamed of admitting she lied.

"What are you trying to say?" Ben raised his brow as he took a seat next to her, only separated by two or three feet.

Ahsoka looked up at the ceiling but was obviously picturing the sky and the stars visible in the atmosphere above as she continued speaking, "Our Galaxy has had force users for thousands of generations and in that time we developed a scale for determining just how powerful they are," She bit her bottom lip for a moment grabbing his hand with care and without taking her eyes off the ceiling, she continued, "If you've seen Vader in a force vision it means for certain that he's sensed your presence in the galaxy and your midochlorian count is beyond anything ever calculated. Force visions can be very dangerous and realistic, it could have lasting effects…" Finally taking a moment to look back at him, she noticed the light from outside glistening over his emerald pupils, glistening in a way that caught her attention.

Ben held his head as he processed what he saw, sitting back still in shock as his stomach did flips, it was like the images would flash in his memory with traumatic physical back lash, "It was so _real_, I was paralyzed and he wasn't even really here, if he finds me I'm done for…" he pulled his hand from hers suddenly as she noticed his sudden panic, reaching to rub across his wrist where his tan line had all but faded, where the Omnitrix once sat, "Back home I had powers but, I'm just a regular _kid_ out here, I don't have my watch, I can't fight someone like him!" His breathing quickened as she could see the effects of paranoia that confirmed it was a vision plaguing him, starting to panic dragging his hands down the sides of his face just to feel the sweat forming.

Ahsoka calmed him by interrupting his manic and grabbing his hands in hers, catching eye contact with him and shifting closer on the bunk, "The first time I met you, you were risking your life for an innocent child you had never met, on a planet you'd never been to… when I first sensed your presence, I knew you weren't just some _regular_ person," as she realized that his eyes sparkled as brightly as the stars themselves, she giggled a bit before taking on a more serious tone, "You say you can't fight against someone like him out here? Let me _teach you_ how... let me teach you how to _not_ die."

"Are you sure?" Ben tried to look away, but Ahsoka stood and drew his attention by pulling him up by his hands to stand with her, "Hey!" he shouted as he was grabbed by the collar and pulled out into the clearing outside of the ship, shoving him until they were out in the middle of the rugs firepit with trees in every direction, she forced him into a sitting position with her knelt next to him.

"What are we doing?" Ben asked feeling ridiculous.

Ahsoka took his hand, placing her fingers over his and almost lacing them together as she guided his palm down to the grass in the firepit circle, "Close your eyes and breathe, in through the nose and out through the mouth, everything is about breathing and focus," he fluttered his eyes shut with a bit of apprehension, taking slow deep breaths as he felt waves of calm over his hands when she touched him, "The force is _not_ a power that you or I have, it isn't about lifting rocks or moving sticks, it is… a _tension_ between all things, a balance that binds the Galaxy together connecting every living thing; I'm here for you," she tightened her grip on his hand just a bit as she watched him with his eyes closed, admiring his more handsome features that appeared when he relaxed his expression, "Reach out again, with your feelings… tell me what you see."

Ben took a deep breath in as flashes of imagery appeared in his mind's eye, connecting through the grass to every living thing on the planet "The forest…" another flash was a bit startling but, not in a bad way as he felt it was like plugging into different parts of the Universe, "The warmth, the cold; the trees creating oxygen which breeds life…" his eye twitched again as he saw a running stream with fish of some sort miles away, cliffs with massive gorges, beautiful waterfalls reflecting natural sunlight, "Nature, death, birth, decay, renewal…" he wasn't sure what he was saying anymore as the words came to him and left his lips just as suddenly.

Ahsoka pressed her chest up against his back which, surprisingly, he didn't notice at all as Ben focused in on the energy that was allowing him to look just as deeply into the light as he had the dark, she leaned in to whisper closer into his ear, sending goosebumps down his neck, "And between it all?" she asked finally.

It was like Ben knew the answer as he responded without hesitation, "A balance… an energy… a _force_," he smiled as he finally understood the namesake at which it had been given, where the name truly derived from was this feeling of connection to all things in the galaxy.

Her hand tightened a bit more over his as she leaned in closer almost brushing her lips over the top of his ears as she whispered, "You saw _great_ darkness but, with balance comes a powerful light equal in magnitude," Ben opened his eyes with a slight gasp as he felt goosebumps rising over his skin and pulled away but, only a few inches to turn back to her noticing their proximity and yet being too distracted to keep from being excited.

"I saw the light," he chuckled, turning to make eye contact with her, it was once again one of the many times they found themselves far too close to one another only; it was starting to get difficult for Ahsoka to keep controlling the heat which insisted on rising to her cheeks, she worried he might notice eventually.

In response she only gave him a reassuring smile, pulling away and standing up, "I knew you would, I told you there is something special about you, we just need to figure out what it is," Ben stood up and followed her as she turned to face him, "Now, consider that your second lesson; let's finish setting up camp already, it might get a bit cold so we'll have to get the fire started."

"On it," he rubbed the back of his neck as he realized that he never collected the firewood that he needed to cut apart and use for the pit, "I'll try not to summon a dark lord while I'm gone this time," Ben chuckled and yet he meant it in all seriousness as he made his way toward the forestry and heard her giggle into her hand, a show of emotion she tried her best not to show at most times but, the longer he spent with her the more he learned that she hid most of her emotions, for what reason he wasn't sure.

…

Several hours flew by as they built their camp, a fire pit, and a cover for the night extending out from the wing of her ship, this time they spent extra effort setting up a larger, more permanent, tent-like camp area to keep the insects out; it dropped to what Ben would consider freezing temperatures when the sun went down, or a little under twenty-degrees Fahrenheit. He held his hands as close to the fire as possible, trying to get warmth as he noticed Ahsoka standing further away, still wearing a sleeveless top and thin pants, "The cold seriously doesn't bother you?"

"I've been on planets made of eighty-percent ice, this _isn't_ cold," she nonchalantly tossed a log into the fire as it exploded with flames, crackling and popping as the heat parted the wood, she dusted off her hands with a short smile, "You just have thin skin."

"I don't have thin anything!" He bluffed as he rubbed his arms and breathed into his hands with a simmering fog rolling out over his palms, she rolled her eyes and tossed him her cloak, the one she'd worn in public since they'd met, "I'm putting this on because its comfortable, not because I'm cold…" Ben announced tossing it over his arms and burying his face into the fabric, he could smell her scent and it wasn't anything he could imagine describing but, it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

"What type of conditioner do you use…? It smells great," he chuckled as he adjusted himself and wrapped it around arms further before he then wondered about what he asked, "That is hair, isn't it?" Ben asked referring to her distinct white headpiece with blue stripes printed across the tendrils hanging down by her midsection.

"No," she laughed grazing a hand over her head, "These are my montrals," she stroked the white tendrils imprinted with blue cascading down them and looked over at him, "And these are my Lekku, are there any species of alien you've encountered that look like me?"

Ben curved a smile as he looked back out at the fire, staring into the flames noticing the light dancing over her facial features, he chuckled, "I've seen hundreds of different species of alien, most of which tried to eat or _kill_ me, so you're definitely not like _anything_ I've ever encountered," as he blew another gust of warm air into the palms of his hands, he glanced back at her for a moment, "Though, that's not necessarily a bad thing," rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

He noticed for the first time that her orange-pigmented skin turned pinkish-red as it was cascaded by light from the fire; it was the first time he'd seen that in her and it felt like she was dealing with a lot of these emotions for the first time as well, like even though she was older than him and far more mature, she was still only now learning about these emotions, "You mean that?" she hummed and looked away.

"Yea," Ben cleared his throat as his cheeks heated up in the brisk cold, turning almost as red as his nose, "You're beyond amazing, strong, brave, you saved my life two or three times already, and you're so beautiful in so many different ways," he chuckled sarcastically with a shrug, "How could I not mean that?"

As his emerald eyes caught the light glimmering off the reflection in her pupils, he noticed Ahsoka bite down lightly on her bottom lip and only managed to let the heat spread across her cheeks and over the bridge of her nose, turning back toward the ship with a glance, "I'm… I'm, uh, turning in and so should you," she turned around on her heels and approached the door to her ship, leaning against the doorframe, "Tomorrow begins your real training."

"Ominous," He announced with raised brows, "Think maybe I could sleep in the ship still?" he chuckled as she folded her arms and turned to face him.

"You upgraded from a rug in the sand to a tent in the woods, you'll be fine," she gave him a coy smile and blushed again deeply as she felt the heat rising from her chest into her cheeks again just from looking into his eyes, quickly shutting the door in between them without even letting up the ramp.

"Damn…" He muttered as he tucked himself as close to the fire as he could get, trying to remember the warmth of his bed as he shut his eyes.

…

Ahsoka would never get totally used to waking up alone, spite how many years she'd been doing it, always waking with a cold sweated startle. She wiped her brow and watched the sweat trickle down her hand, still deep in thought about what the bounty hunters had said about this Ben Tennyson boy. Shaking her head, she lazily drudged her way into the bathroom, turning on the water as steam billowed into the air on contact with the cold room; the heat from the shower was incredibly refreshing, washing away tension and stress as it did the sweat from her body.

She threw a blue sleeveless vest over her bare chest, zipping it up and slipping on gloved silver gauntlets running over her wrists across her forearms; she chose flexible tight-leggings that had several tight pockets and two holsters which she equipped with her sabers. Ahsoka looked into the mirror in the bathroom, staring into her own eyes with conviction, maybe training a student could be a new beginning for her… even in trying times like these, there was still hope. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and placed her dark blue Mandalorian headband over her forehead that covered the lining between her skin and her montrals. She hadn't worn it since she was forced to part ways with Rex, after learning the rumors about what had happened to the Jedi Temple and the high council, it still held a connection to a great deal of negative memories but, she felt like this might be the way to forge new ones in their place.

The hatch to her ship slid open as she took a few steps down the ramp, she was surprised to find Ben already awake; he was shirtless and doing a handstand on a tree-stump she had chopped down on their arrival still under the tent, "Oh, hey!" He announced as he slipped to one hand, "Balance, right?" he quickly lost said balance and fell over flat on his back with a thud.

"Not quite," she shook her head with a half-smile and approached, sticking her hand out to help him up, "But, you knew that…" Ahsoka asserted.

"So, what _is_ first? How does one become a _Jedi_?" he put air quotes around the word for emphasis, but she only turned her head, looking out into the field outside of their tent.

Ahsoka caught sight of some decent bamboo-like thickets sprouting from the ground near the edge of the forestry, her lips curving into a smile, "For starters, I'm teaching you to utilize the force for good, that doesn't make you a Jedi," she gestured for him to walk with her as they exited the tent and stepped back into the clearing of grass, "The force never belonged to the Jedi… or the Sith; the Jedi were only _supposed_ to be keepers of the peace, they too allowed themselves to the fall to corruption the moment they became soldiers for the Republic, even those with the best intentions…" she reminisced on her master as well as Kenobi and Yoda, two of the wisest Jedi of them all, sometimes she wondered if she made the right choice leaving the order when she did. If she hadn't, she couldn't help but wonder what might be different now, how drastically things might differ.

"So, the first thing you need, is saber training… have you ever handled a sword before?" He followed her to the bamboo where she pulled out one of her blue lightsabers, swinging quickly with a horizontal slash.

As the thicket was chopped into smaller pieces, Ben responded, "Nope, not really…"

Ahsoka only groaned in response rolling her eyes and collecting the sticks into her arms quickly as the sun still peeked over the horizon, the morning dew made the air a bit humid but, still cold enough to send a shiver up her spine.

…

The light from the beating morning sun glimmered off the dust that spread with every connection of four sets of bamboo-sticks, gripping one in either of their hands at any given time and using a methodical chain of moments to test their individual reflexes; Ben and Ahsoka trained shirtless and in a new pair of cargo pants that better fit his new training while she was in a navy blue spaghetti-strap tank-top with matching combat-leggings.

The loud clacking of their strikes connecting at the perfect trajectory was only drowned out by the force of him hitting the ground repeatedly. It was many, many hours of brutal training as he was disarmed and tossed about, smacked in the face a few times, but by the time sun set he was still adamantly standing.

Ben was sweating profusely, to the point that it trickled down his neck and over his more defining muscles across his chest, as he felt the droplet hit the grass at his feet he swung at her and she ducked under it with ease. Placing a palm on his chest and her foot behind his, she thrusted forwards knocking him onto his back yet again. Before he could hit the ground though, she caught him by the back of the neck, pulling him closer than he expected but back to his feet, "You need to change your stance," as she helped him up, she stepped behind him and used her foot to forcibly shift his stance by widening his legs, giving him more stability, "Form one, known as Shii-Cho, is the first step; even the children are taught the basics of attack, parry, and body target zones," she stepped back and held her wooden stick up, prepared to strike again with an intense glare, "When I come at you, don't just swing at my stick; swing through it and parry it away instead."

Ben nodded vigorously in response as he held up his sticks in preparation for her next advance. Ahsoka swung forwards and as he connected with her stick, his reflexes spun the conflict to the left disarming her unexpectedly and sending her weapon into the dirt. It was the first time he'd ever gotten a good swing in and he didn't want to risk his luck running out by stopping now as he took her smile never fading as a positive response to the adrenaline. He swung left and right with ferocity and a low growl with every attack as she effortlessly dodged each of his swings only hitting air. Taking a step back, Ahsoka held her hands behind her back as she ducked, and weaved through his attacks; until she finally caught his weapon this time with the palm of her hand, yanking on it and tearing it from his grip before spinning and knocking his feet out from under him. It turned out she didn't need a weapon to totally lay him out with ease, and no amount of luck was going to change that.

"Nice try," Ahsoka announced with a huff, her smile was obvious as she reached her hand out to once again help the Tennyson boy back to his feet but, she unintentionally pulled him harder than she expected to. Ben stopped himself only an inch or two from his trainers face, as they quickly realized the close proximity, they both let their breaths linger in the air around them, they were close enough to feel the heat radiating off their glistening skin. He noticed her slightly flustered expression glancing away from him, he took this opportunity to place his hand flat on the center of her chest, just above her cleavage slowly grazing her skin… this moment turned out to be more sensual than she expected as the tips of his fingers collected a droplet of sweat and their faces only got closer. Ahsoka had no idea what type of sorcery kept her drawn to him but, her focus was so distracted that she didn't notice his foot slowly shifting behind hers before palm thrusting her to the ground, mimicking her own move. Before she felt the thud of getting the wind knocked out of her lungs, he caught her by the collar of her vest, as she giggled in excitement, "You're a _fast_ learner," she almost choked on her breath as he looked down at her from emerald shining jewels glistening in the morning sunlight.

"I get that a lot too," he helped her up just as she did for him, noticing her now more flustered than before as her hands played with the ends of her tendrils nervously, "We should go and find something to eat while it's still early," he suggested as he began his walk towards the forest however, she stopped him by quickly putting a finger on his chest, noticing her sudden jolt back as her hands touched his bare chest.

"I-I'll go… for food, I mean, you can stay and shower, you did well training today so you deserve a break," Ahsoka turned around leaving no room for argument and no room for him to see her expression as she closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip once again, forcing her more primal emotions down.

…

He had never been so happy to run a _cold_ shower in his life, it felt like he'd been through the most brutal training he'd ever experienced and it was only day one; his muscles were sore, and his body was bruised as he investigated himself in the mirror and noticed purple and black marks forming across his lower-back and abdomen. The bathroom door slid open for him as he was wrapped in a towel, he went to retrieve his robes which the advanced laundry devices had washed and dried in just the time it took for his shower, still incredible to him.

As he disrobed and slid his underwear and pants over his lower body, he noticed a small metallic case underneath Ahsoka's bunk, he felt a short whisper in the back of his mind daring him to open it in the same way the ancient texts had. He couldn't resist pulling it out and unclasping its lock, within were two metallic sword hilts just like those of her current lightsabers, which is the obvious conclusion he came to on what they were.

He picked the slightly longer one up and gazed at it, marveling at its refined beauty, chrome with a black grip, he found a red switch and was thankful he wasn't foolish enough to hold it anywhere other than up; an emerald beaming plasma blade sprouted illuminating the inside of the ship with light.

"The weapon of a master, this is so cool," he waved it around, listening to its hum until he heard footsteps approaching from outside, his hearing was definitely improving, he deactivated the saber, placed it back in its case, shut and locked it whilst grabbing his robe and belt he kicked the case back under her bunk, he didn't like lying but, it wasn't a big deal to simply not say anything.

He exited the pod and walked out into the tent to find a massive alien bear three times Ahsoka's size, dead and currently being skinned on the ground with a long knife, "You wanna help?" she asked with a smile and bear-blood splattered partially across her face.

"Only if you promise to shower afterwards…"

…

They ate a feast out in the open, under the stars, a feast in comparison to what they could find on the previous few planets they stopped at on the way to Yavin; Ben was getting accustomed to alien cuisine and felt a small connection to his grandfather, it was likely just as hard for him to acquire the tastes he introduced to him and his cousin in his senior years, when he was Ben's age.

He couldn't stop thinking about his family, whoever sent him here was clearly getting him out of the way to pull some sinister plot on his friends and family, or even worse the entire Earth; he was supposed to be their protector and he was more focused on this woman than his own family whom he can't help but feel like he abandoned.

How could he let this happen? It was so infuriating that he was completely powerless in this situation, he was protector of the Universe, he defeated Vilgax in hand to hand combat, he ended the Highbreed invasion and who knows how many other bozos who tried to hurt innocent people. It took years to learn about the Omnitrix as well as he could and now, he was helpless and starting back from the beginning.

He clutched his tattered jeans and felt every emotion dialed up to eleven; as they both sat by the fire, she noticed it first through the force but, soon the ground beneath them shook, sending cracks across the stone floors.

"Ben?" Ahsoka quickly stood and took his shoulders from behind, "Ben, listen to me, you're open to a lot of new abilities and the force can amplify your emotions, breath… find your center, find your balance…" she massaged his shoulders until the shaking stopped, his face was placid but a tear formed in his eye, streaking down his cheek.

"I'm usually a lot more confident than this but, I miss my family…"

She kept one hand on his shoulder as she sat next to him, "I told you I know what it's like to leave everything behind by force; you can't change the past, you can't predict the future, you can only embrace the present," he wiped his tears and shook his head.

"How do you do this all the time? Keeping all of these emotions in check?

"I meditated and trained for years, It wasn't easy by any means, and I still struggle to control my feelings," she looked away with a small smile, trying to hide the heat that formed in her cheeks, "You've been testing those abilities since I met you," she finished with a giggle.

"Yea, well, I was the one caught staring," he chuckled as the mood lightened, "Seriously, I would have been dead without you! You saved my life and you've done nothing but selflessly helped me since then," he tried to express just how grateful he was for her help but, words would never be enough, "Thank you."

Ahsoka scooted over closer to him so that their hips were touching, looking into his eyes as the fire was now the only light other than the ships behind them, "I didn't just protect you because you were sad, pathetic, and about to die…"

"Thanks," she shoved his shoulder at his remark.

"It doesn't matter," she stood up, "You just made your first physical connection to the force," still obviously flustered, she played with one of her hair-tails, "It may have been a little surprising but, that's still progress," placing both hands on her hips.

…

Thousands of light-years away, a massive city sized Star Destroyer cruised slowly at massively hypersonic speeds; aboard the central command center were two rows of imperial generals and maintenance crew, doing routine checks as usual.

A massive pane of reinforced carbon-fiber glass separated them from the void of space and distant stars splayed across their view, the only one looking however, was a tall dark figure in a helmet, armor, and a cape. His respirator was loud and unsettling any time it could be heard but, he would be far enough away to think to himself as he analyzed the Galaxy he conquered and reminisced on memories long passed.

_On a desert planet known as Tattooine, a young boy with blonde hair was being bandaged up by the first Jedi Master he ever met, Qui-Gon Jinn, a very wise and balanced master who never let the way of the Jedi dictate how he served the force for peace._

_They shared a brief conversation, "There sure are a lot of stars out tonight, there are so many, do they all have a system of planets?"_

_Qui-Gon smiled, "Most of them…"_

_"Has anyone been to them all?"_

_He chuckled in response, looking up at the sky with a smile, "Not likely."_

_"I wanna be the first one to see 'em all!" he shouted joyfully._

He continued his cold stare, his expression of utter sadness and all-consuming hatred for no one aside from himself hidden by a faceless mask, to terrify any who dared oppose him but, to hide the shame of his folly. It was this shame and grief that kept him in a perpetual state of darkness, feeding off his hatred for himself and growing more powerful through it.

An imperial officer approached and bowed to one knee, "Lord Vader, you requested we change course?"

He shook these memories and turned to face his subordinate, "The Emperor wants the boy eliminated, I have felt his presence near the outer-rim of the Galaxy; search for him and report back to me," he announced.

"Shall we dispatch troops?"

Vader contemplated for but a moment and then walked away without hesitation, "Collect a small squad and prepare my ship, I shall deal with him myself."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

…

After spending another few hours talking, telling stories and over all enjoying each-others company; the sun had long since set and the temperature dropped once again.

She fully expected him to ask to sleep in the ship with her like he always had but, he didn't even bring it up, he simply made himself comfortable by the fire, using her cloak as a blanket.

"Thanks for the meal, it was great," he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head, staring up at the tent, "Night," he announced.

She smiled and opened the hatch to her ship, stepping onto the ramp she turned and looked back at him, he was smiling with his eyes closed, she didn't know why until he announced without taking a single peak, "I can feel you staring…"

She giggled a bit, shaking her head, "Night, Ben."

Ahsoka entered the ship and closed the hatch behind her, maybe there was something more special about him than just the force after all. She couldn't fight what she was feeling for much longer but, couldn't make a decision on what to do, all she knew is she would protect him with her life.

…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**1 Month Later**

**Yavin 4**

It was dark in every direction, Ben couldn't see anything around him but, knew to sprint as though his life depended on it through the forestry of dense trees anyways, without tripping or making a single misstep, he leapt over large thick roots, dodged between massive trunks, and finally swung from a blue plant-like vine over a cliff. He weaved through natures obstacle course with ease as though he'd been doing it ten times a day for weeks, which was exactly the case. He landed on the ground with a roll twenty feet below without slowing his stride, continuing to run through the tall grass and thick branches, pushing leaves out of the way as he could sense everything around him including the small tactical droid hovering in the air above him.

He stopped suddenly, not looking directly at it as the darkness clouded his ocular senses training his mind to focus a sixth sense through the force; still managing to dodge to the left quickly avoiding a miniscule crimson laser, it struck the tree he ducked behind and barely left a singe on the bark. He countered by force pulling two mossy pebbles from the ground up into his palm, as though it were still a bit unfamiliar to him, turning and launching them up at it as he bolted back towards the path.

The droid blasted the first rock mid-air before it could be hit however, the second stone was shrouded by the cloud of debris from the first pebble, allowing the second one to dent its exterior. Knocking it off course, Ben took this opportunity to front flip over a massive ridge, landing beneath the cover of some dense leafy trees. He took deep breaths, slowing down to a jog as he approached the end of his path until he was suddenly stung in the shoulder by the droid's miniature training beam, following his trail beneath the tree line.

He picked up the pace as it followed closer behind him, dodging to the left and to the right, still completely blindfolded as he leapt through the tree-line and into the clearing where they had docked, summoning his wooden training stick from within the tent. Even as he rolled to a stop dodging the last of the tiny offensive stings, the force strengthened every muscle in his body allowing him to push through strain; calling out to the training-staff as it flew through the tent flaps and into the palm of his hands. Ben turned and deflected a beam with the end of the wood before swinging down on the droid, planning to flatten it, "Time," his teacher called out as he stopped his strike inches from the droid's metallic shell, it responded by stinging him in the chest anyways.

"Ow, damn it, dumb droid!" He shouted lifting his white inverted helmet up, acting as a face guard to keep himself blindfolded while training, Ben allowed him the luxury of sight once again where he was greeted by the spherical bot hovering over towards Ahsoka whom only giggled in response.

She pressed a red-button on the top of its propulsion system which shut it off, falling lifelessly into the palm of her hand about the size of an apple, "My master once told me to never underestimate a droid, and that lesson has saved my life on more than one occasion," it was hard to explain but, droids always had a way of surprising her one way or another.

He sat on a chopped tree stump, wiping the sweat from his brow as he removed the mask entirely plopping it in the grass next to him; he used the last thirty-days of training to get his physical body into shape, he relied far too heavily on the Omnitrix in the past and so he stuck with a rigid training regimen instructed by Ahsoka herself. Ben didn't just work on his new found abilities with the force, he also molded his physical body into the best weapon he could; when he arrived he was a tad scrawny in comparison and didn't have much in the way of physical strength, his new training would work to rectify this. With survival being an adequate motivator, he became a fighting machine as Ahsoka took him through self-defense combinations for hours nearly every day.

If it hadn't been for the bond he was manifesting with his teacher, he wouldn't have come this far at all, he might never have made it off Jakku. As he approached their campsite, Ben grabbed and swung a small white hand-rag over his neck and grabbed his brown robes, "Speaking of technology saving lives, when do I get my own lightsaber?" he jokingly swung at the air, making buzzing noises with his mouth as he tied his belt.

Ahsoka only chuckled in response, trying to avoid watching him dress himself by turning around to stare out at the rising sun, "You've asked that a hundred times already," she insisted as she heard the ridiculous lightsaber sounds he made and turned back towards the tented area with another giggle, they both stepped within where they'd done significant remodeling; several places to sit were carved out of wood or made of cloth hammocks, as well as setting up several wooden tables for supplies and cooking. He was still shocked by how gifted she was, Ahsoka wasn't just a skilled martial artist and mechanic but, an amazing cook and handy woman.

"Actually, it's been twenty-three since we met," he pointed out as he was about to slip on his robe, he noticed he had some sweat trickling down his abdomen and so he didn't hesitate to use the hand towel one more time. Ahsoka was surprised to find her cheeks turning bright red uncontrollably when she caught sight of him drying the sweat from his chest, which had broadened in the last few weeks, watching every stroke as he glided the towel over his ever growing biceps and deltoids, "And I don't think I've ever gotten a straight answer, either…" his voice finishing off that thought snapped her out of her stupor for a moment but, was still a bit flustered.

Ahsoka only blinked making it incredibly obvious that she was trying her best to look anywhere but where he was drying himself. She cleared her throat and responded, averting her gaze quickly, "You aren't ready for one yet, when it comes time to draw a weapon like that, you'll know," she turned back around and headed back up into the ship where she knew she could get easy pay back.

"How can I know when I'll be ready before I'm ready? How am I supposed to defend myself against those guys without a weapon? They have blasters!" Ben force pulled one of the wooden training sticks from the ground as flipped through the air and into his palms, "What should I do if one of them jabs the barrel of a blaster in my face?! Threaten them with my _stick_?" he was mostly joking but, held a valid point from his less experienced point of view.

She didn't respond at all, instead she tossed her sleeveless blue vest into his face, when he pulled it from his eyes and tossed the stick aside, Ahsoka was standing in the doorway wearing a maroon sports-bra, exposing her midriff and a bit of cleavage as she approached him with a holster in her hands. For just a moment, he thought she was going to just give it to him but, instead she passed him into a small opening in their tented area where they could walk leisurely.

"Jam this in my face," Ahsoka insisted shoving the handle of the blaster into Ben's chest with a half-smile, he took it apprehensively as she stepped back, and he pulled it out.

"Are you sure?" Ben chuckled, insisting that it was just a joke, looking over the chrome handle leading to a crimson barrel, he knew she had other weapons but, he never had the honor of holding one.

Ahsoka nodded confidently shifting her stance a bit, "Go ahead."

He took a quick breath, looking down at the gun for a moment before raising it to eye level and aiming it at her face; before he could even consider firing it she had moved in a blur of speed to counter him. Grabbing his wrist with one hand to remove herself from its line of fire, tucking that wrist under her arm and using it to pull him in as to land an elbow to his opposing abdomen and take the weapon from his grip simultaneously. Ahsoka took one step tossing him over her shoulder onto his back with a thud, as the wind was thoroughly knocked out of his lungs, he simply groaned on the ground as she looked down at him.

"A lightsaber is an elegant weapon, not just for swinging at things with a hot blade but, a true connection to the force and thusly everything else around you," She held her hand out for him to take, as he looked up he noticed a beam of sun-light shinning in from the tent above, glistening off the sweat that beaded over her breasts. Ben had to gulp to keep himself from staring to intently when she pulled him back up to his feet, "Like I said, when the time comes for you to wield one, you'll know it," she passed him again as she walked back up the ramp, disappearing into her ship leaving him with the blaster.

"I'm going to shower up and then I'm going to a nearby supply satellite for a grocery run; we're running low on fresh water and I figure I could pick up some herbs to spice dinner up a little bit," he could hear her changing as he tried his best to take his mind off of her curves by aiming the blaster a few times at random objects before holstering it.

"Okay… why does that sound like I'm not coming with you?" Ben asked rubbing his thumb over the chrome handle, he hadn't been really left alone since the day he nearly died at the hands of the bounty hunters.

Ahsoka giggled as she opened the bathroom door and allowed it to slide closed behind her, the hot water created steam when it collided with the chilly air and she stepped under it, "Do me a favor and undock the ship from the campground?"

"Sure thing," Ben said reluctantly as he stepped inside and approached the pilots console, reaching for a long lever that he knew well, he heard a loud clank as the ship unlocked itself from the ground. He stepped outside and started moving some stones out of the way, he grabbed hold of one of two green hooks that kept the tent and the ship tethered together, "Still sounds like I'm not going! Aren't I _like_ a bounty-hunters wet dream if I'm out on my own?" He pulled and unlatched the first one free making his way to the adjacent one as he finally heard her shout in response.

"I blend in better when I'm alone, besides your training isn't finished yet!" she answered as logically as possible, shutting off the water and stepping out of the shower onto the cold metal with her bare feet, "It'll be quicker if I go alone anyways," he didn't want to but, found himself peaking slightly through the doorway as he unlatched the second hook, her tanned orange skin radiating from beneath a white towel which was only wrapped firmly around her waist. Ben gulped and shook his head, tucking himself back around the corner of the entrance, his hand still on the hook.

Even though her back was turned the entire time, Ahsoka smiled to herself knowing she'd gotten back at him for unknowingly flustering her earlier; these new feelings were only getting more difficult to maintain while she was around him as no amount of meditation could keep him from her thoughts. She shook her head and pulled another vest over her shoulders strapping her gauntlets and pants to her person as well as her belted holsters which two lightsaber hilts fit.

The former shapeshifter spoke up again in protest, "If I go out with you though," he started trying his best to change the subject, "I could get some experience _and_ buy one of those sweet lightsabers myself, then I could get _real_ practice in," he chuckled as he slipped a black t-shirt over his torso, tightening his emerald belt around his waist; he finished his sentence with more buzzing noises, swinging his imaginary blade around him as she stepped from the entrance into view.

Ahsoka giggled with a roll of her eyes walking down the ramp, "Using a lightsaber is not all about cutting through things wildly, they aren't toys, they're tools…" she pulled one of her saber-hilts out and ignited it in front of him, flashing a bright blue beaming plasma blade, "Each saber is created using whats known as a kyber-crystal; these crystals are _living _manifestations of the force and they can feel the purity of your connection to the force, in fact they feed on it," she waved the energy in front of him as he was almost mesmerized, he was so adorable when was in awe at yet another thing he'd never seen before, "You need to fine tune your personal training before you can make your own saber."

"Wait, I have to make one? I'm no engineer…" he folded his arms suddenly.

Ahsoka allowed the sizzling blue energy to be sucked back into the hilt as she deactivated her saber and holstered it, turning around and strutting back into the ship for a quick moment as he followed closely behind, "The Jedi used to teach literal children how to build them, so unless you're saying you're… less capable than a mere child?" turning to glance at him with a coy smile, she giggled at his expression.

"Ha-hah, very funny," he said sarcastically as she sat in the pilot's seat and fired up the engine, the roar of the rockets almost forced them to raise their voice an octave or two. He looked back out at the camp with hesitation, "I guess I'm just a bit worried what'll happen if you leave, last time-" he reminisced on what had almost happened, grazing a hand over the spot on his body which was now merely a patch of welted skin, where Ahsoka had healed his blaster wound.

She grabbed his hand with confidence, wrapping her daintier palm over his, clasping it as he glanced up at her smile, "This time we've hidden well enough and with the training you have now, no regular bounty hunter is going to get the drop on you in the few hours that I'm gone," he noticed the faith she had in him that sparkled in her turquoise eyes, oceans of blue he could get lost in as he watched her search his eyes for something to lose _herself_ in.

"Yea," he chuckled pulling his hand away to rub the back of his neck sheepishly, "You're right, I'm just being paranoid…"

…

Just outside of the solar-system, a massive silver Star Destroyer appeared in the blink of an eye, exiting hyperspace with impressive control; as they started a cruising course towards the signal their captain had sensed, one dark figure stood out among them all looking out a massive panel into deep space, he reached out with the force and recognized Ben's connection but, also one he had not felt since before he raided the Jedi temple.

Darth Vader's mechanical suit constantly kept him in a state of agonizing pain the likes of which only his rage could quell, but even so he would not let his anger on the past cloud his judgement. He always knew this day would come and wasn't afraid, he was the legendary dark knight of the Sith Order, he wasn't afraid of anything; knowing she was down there only fueled his self-hatred further. Thinking of what could have been if she had stayed with him, what could have been had he stayed with her? It didn't matter, all of that was burned to nothing, left in the ashes of the past, equally as dead as the Chosen One and the rest of the Jedi Order.

One of his personal Imperial Officers approached from behind as he stared out the massive pane of reinforced glass, in the same place meditating into the force with rhythmic breaths hissing through the respirator, "Lord Vader, we've reached the coordinates you provided, shall I prepare your personal pod?" the Officer kept his head bowed until he heard a response.

Each breath was just as strained as the last, taking his time to turn around before answering as his breaths sounded ominously with anticipation, "No," he answered finally with deep bellowing voice, "Send an inquisitor…"

"My lord!" Another officer interrupted from his station, standing up and saluting the dark knight simultaneously as he spoke with his eyes still on the screen, "A ship has just exited the atmosphere of Yavin-Four, it so far hasn't noticed our cloaked presence, shall we shoot it down?"

He glanced out at the planet, watching the speck fly out from the clouds, making its way to jump into a hyperspace lane for quick and discreet travel. It wasn't difficult to reach out with the force to see how many lifeforms were abord, he felt her… he felt her presence alone on that ship that their weapons were targeting, even as Vader, he still had some semblance of honor and if he was going to finally strike her down, he would do it himself with his own bare hands. Just as a show of strength, Vader gestured his finger up from his folded-arm position which snapped the interrupting Officer's neck.

As he slowly collapsed into a lifeless heap, the Imperial Officer still waiting for orders only closed his eyes, gulping before turning back to Darth Vader and bowing his head slightly waiting for an answer, "Leave the ship, send the Second Sister with a battalion of troops to the planet's surface. Locate the boy and bring him to _me_ alive," he trusted only his personal Jedi hunting assassins to complete this task, and the Second Sister was one of his best among them next to the Grand Inquisitor.

…

An hour after Ahsoka left the planet, Ben was trying to find his center through meditation into the force as he stood on his hands within the tent, perfectly balanced, struggling to stay upright with his eyes closed as he reached the one hour mark. He could feel his consciousness slowly reaching out into the force around him and the camp sight, taking hold of the surrounding tables and stacks of firewood, levitating them up into the air telekinetically.

Without intentionally doing so, his prowess reached even outside of the tent, the tree-line of thick branches shook as a powerful tension blew through the layer of grass and dead leaves in the clearing. The few surrounding stones embedded in the ground ripped themselves from the grass, some rooted centuries of being planted in the dirt.

Ben's force-sight covered the entire area, shrouding the landscape in his consciousness as he felt every living thing for miles around him, the energy between them all, it was standard meditation until he sensed a darker presence approaching the planet. An immense darkness that only grew closer as he tried to pin-point exactly what it was, he made the same mistake he did the last time he tried this, allowing a two-way street to psychically access his mind. He glanced into his mind's eye where the figure of one woman clad in all black leather armor stepped out of a small ship that had clearly just landed. The woman sported a badge on her right breast, a belt with similar holsters and weapons to Ahsoka's, and was followed by a group of three men, identical to the ones he stood up against on Jakuu.

As he was gazing at her through the force, she quickly turned her helmeted head to look right into his eyes and sent a pulse of darkness disrupting their connection and sending Ben off his hands and flat onto his back. Whoever she was, she was clearly more experienced than he was and seemed to be looking for him specifically, at least that's what it felt like.

"Shit…"

…

Ahsoka landed her ship on a nearby satellite outpost only a parsec or two away from Yavin, it was built atop an asteroid which had been retrofitted as some sort of interstellar convenience store, she'd avoided buying food and such in public space not because she was broke but, because this outpost among many in the area had already been taken over by the Galactic Empire.

She opened the platform, and two guards clad in black and white identical armor immediately greeted her with hostility, "Identification!" they shouted aiming their rifles at her as she walked down her ramp casually without stopping.

"You've seen my identification," she stated with a single wave of her hand, "I'm cleared," they lowered their weapons, looking around for a brief second before stepping aside for her.

"Your ID checks out, move along," they motioned for her to enter the small dome shaped building as another customer landed behind her. Tugging on the end of her cloak to keep her identity hidden, she wandered through the isles for a moment, grabbing an empty basket and filling it with ingredients for meals she thought Ben might enjoy; she paid for fuel and fresh water at the counter along with the rations she picked out.

She was going to turn back around and make the commute back to Yavin Four when something gleaming behind the counter caught her eyes, "W-What is that…" she asked the rotund alien shop clerk.

"This?" he grabbed the hilt of a very familiar lightsaber into his tentacles, "It was a weapon of the Jedi, scary stuff, scavenger of mine found it on Mustafar of all places, very rare and very pricey…" he noted holding it like a toy as he waved it at her without igniting it.

Ahsoka slapped a wad of currency on the glass desk and grabbed it out of his hands, he took the was and counted it slowly as he chuckled, "Pleasure doing business with you…" she was startled suddenly feeling a blow back of memories that were not her own; connections through the force in a way she'd never felt before.

_"You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you…" _it was the master Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice filled with grief as the bubbling lava simmered behind him, echoing in her head louder as the images were blurry_._

The voice of her former master shouted with incredible rage, Anakin Skywalker screaming with a vengeful fury that couldn't be quelled by anything less than absolute power_, "I HATE YOU!"_

_"I have failed you, Anakin… I have failed you…"_

Ahsoka gasped as soon as she touched it and almost dropped the saber before catching it again, "Hey!" the clerk shouted in protest referring to the line behind her, "No refunds."

"Right…" as she tried to reach out into the force again, she couldn't see what she was hearing only seconds ago, walking back towards the exit she took a deep breath in an attempt to reexperience the vision she'd had instead managing to sense out the nearby planets feeling Ben's presence connected to hers through the force. She could feel that he was in some sort of danger, she couldn't be sure as to what but all of her instincts told her to run to him; feeling a tight squeeze on her chest, Ahsoka's eyes snapped open feeling a darkness looming over Yavin.

She rushed back to the ship, and took off as quickly as possible, nearly knocking the soldiers over; she piled the rations, fuel, and water with little care and immediately jumped into light speed, finding the nearest hyperspace lane back towards Yavin.

…

Ben was still more clever than people gave him credit for as he thought his options through carefully, it quickly became apparent that if he fled the camp he would simply get lost in the forest without hope of Ahsoka finding him. He decided to set a trap as best he could just outside of the tent, taking her older shoto-lightsaber and burying it in their campsite under a thin layer of dirt, strapping the holster for the blaster she left with him behind his back under his shirt where it was hidden from sight.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly focusing on his senses, he reached out into the force feeling four approaching entities; Ben didn't panic as he knew things would go according to plan so long as he stood in the right place at the right time.

He exited the tent slowly, stepping out into the open as three troopers clad in identical white tactical armor appeared from within the dense tree-line, each one with their blasters aimed at his head with the Second Sister approaching in the center, "Put your hands on your head and get on your knees!" one of the men shouted at him from behind the scope of his rifle; their expressions hidden totally by the visors in the helmets.

Ben hesitated, looking down at his feet before taking a step back, "I take it you work for that Vader guy?" he stalled as he took another step back, trying his best to get in position while lifting his hands into the air like a white-flag.

Second Sister wasn't going to answer his question, instead she only repeated the clone's order which was the one she gave them, "You were ordered to come peacefully, I suggest you remain quiet as well," the sound of her voice was modified by her helmet but, not like Darth Vader's, she clearly didn't have a severe injury that posed a need for it.

Ben closed his eyes and took a breath, "No," he announced, lowering his hands as the Second Sister took a few intimidating steps forward with her hand on her belt which was out of sight under her partial cloak, "I'm guessing you can't kill me, otherwise you would have done it already, Darth Vader doesn't sound like the type of guy to grant mercy."

Sister looked around at the camp sight before grabbing hold of a single metallic-hilt on her belt slowly, holding it up and pressing down with her thumb igniting a crimson plasma blade from the end which she pointed directly at him, taking a few steps forward as the blade came closer to his exposed neck but, didn't make contact. The blade was cool spite its heat that could burn through solid steel with ease, it was an odd sensation that forced him to swallow loudly. "I was ordered to bring you back to Lord Vader alive but, you only barely need to be such for me to fulfill that order."

Ben slowly raised his hands up above his head in surrender prompting her to lower the blade, retracting the energy blade as two of the men approached prepared to put him in some sort of advanced energy cuffs; he waited until they lowered their weapons to grab his wrists before jumping into action, quickly headbutting one of the men hard enough to crack the glass in his helmet. The Stormtrooper stumbled back a step as he took this opportunity to grab the handheld blaster from under his shirt, firing it into the second trooper's chest knocking him off his feet from the concussive energy. The bolts went right through their armor from their close range, as he quickly turned when the second trooper raised his blaster and aimed through the broken glass. He pulled the trigger again, all in a matter of thirty-seconds or so, firing a bolt through the soldiers' head putting a hole through his left eye.

"Restrain him, now!" Second Sister shouted as the final trooper aimed his blaster up and fired a bolt that struck the barrel of Ben's pistol, considering himself lucky that it didn't take his hand with its miniature explosion.

The solider had Ben in his sights and was prepared to take a non-lethal shot to the leg or arm to incapacitate him, he took those two seconds before the trigger was pressed to force pull the buried saber-hilt up into his hands, igniting it and deflecting the subsequent blaster bolts into the ground at their feet. He acted almost totally on instinct as a very brief flash of yellow-sheen sparked in his eyes, quickly advancing and severing both arms of the clone-soldier, dropping the rifle to the ground with his dismembered limbs. It seemed the saber did much to cauterize the wound as it sliced through flesh, causing minimal blood splatter. He got into his basic stance, holding the bright green saber with both hands, planting his feet, and facing Second Sister who chuckled in response through her mask.

"Something funny?" Ben asked with narrowed eyes as the green humming energy reflected off his glowing yellow pupils.

She shook her head, finding it ironic that it would only be a matter of time, she could feel it growing inside of him and could see the power growing in his eyes; Second Sister grabbed the hilt from her belt and restarted her lightsaber, the glowing crimson contrasting the emerald light from her opponents blade. "It is foolish of you to believe you could out smart the Empire," with a tap of her high-tech suited gauntlet, three more Stormtroopers appeared behind her from the tree-line with blasters primed and ready.

Ben leaped to the right dodging a volley of blaster bolts that carved into the dirt where he stood only a second prior; as he rolled to his feet, he used the still lit plasma blade to deflect two blaster shots one after the other. One ricocheted into one of the identical soldiers, hitting him in the solar plexus as the tactical armor seemed to protect from that distance but, still knocked him unconscious.

The other two clones quickly aimed and fired at him but, he deflected the lethal blasts aimed to take his head off, one of which hit a tree behind him, taking such a large chunk out of it that it collapsed completely. A forty-foot-long, two-foot-thick tree trunk landed between the clones and their commander; giving Ben enough time and distraction to engage with the others. He swung side-ways as the trooper fired a shot into the ground before being cleaved in two at the waist. This caused a bit of splatter as the amount of blood couldn't possibly be kept from spilling.

He backed away as the last soldier fired at him several times, using his more refined senses to deflect each blast into the dirt behind him, once of which hit the tent that they'd worked so hard to set up lighting it a blaze. Ben front flipped over the clone in a blur, even with advanced tech he couldn't react until he was decapitated swiftly by the emerald blade. Second Sister was clearly done fooling around as with a single hand she focused, the several thousand-pound tree-trunk floated into the air above them, dropping it directly on their flaming base.

The Second Sister approached, pulling a much longer saber from her belt, igniting it as two crimson blades protruded from either end, "You've got two blades, that's _great_…" her dual-bladed lightsaber was wielded uniquely as she twirled it in her hands nonchalantly and with more skill than he thought possible.

Ben thought as creatively as possible, ripping the basketball sized stones around him from the dirt telekinetically and launching them at her as projectiles but, she nonchalantly used the force to redirect them with only her mind.

Sister was fast, too fast, even with his training and this weird boost of adrenaline and energy he had, it wasn't enough to keep up as he kept a horizontal guard that was met with downward swing that nearly sent him to his knees. The heat of their crossing blades sizzled down over Ben's face as she pressed downwards forcing his knees to buckle.

"You need to be alive; Lord Vader didn't say how many limbs you had to have," she snickered with a sinister glare, flicking Ahsoka's lightsaber out of his hands with a single swing of her saber before plucking him off of his feet using the force. She noticed the light in his eyes had gone out, returning to their dim emerald shade, as if whatever was possessing him to fight had simply vanished.

Ben choked as the inquisitor stalked closer to her prey, lifting him from his feet into the air in front of her, totally over powering his physical and metaphysical strength, "A-About the limbs thing, you c-can just take me to Vader with all of them intact, we don't need to resort to violence!" He tried to make light of the situation as best he remembered how, though this was taking a much darker turn than he expected it to. Being hunted without an Omnitrix failsafe or transformations to rely on was bad enough but now he was seconds from death hoping for a miracle.

Second Sister scoffed in response, "You just killed my men…"

"To be fair, it was s-self-defense!" she force-pulled him closer catching his throat in her hand, being much taller than him already, she held him up to look into his eyes.

"Joke while you can boy, the Emperor will break you, brainwash you, you will forget your past and embrace your new role as one of our brothers," she pressed a button on her helmet, lifting up a face mask to reveal a Caucasian humanoid woman with bright yellow eyes and a scar running down the side of her entire face, "Perhaps you will even become our Grand Inquisitor one day."

"Not gonna happen," he choked as she released his windpipe to hear him out, he gasped taking a deep breath as he chuckled for a second rubbing his throat slowly, "I'll never join you, I'll never be a weapon."

Second Sister ignited a single crimson saber once again and raised it to just below his neck-line, "Let's see how far your optimism gets you when you lie bleeding at my feet!"

He cleared his throat, "Before you do though, a word of advice?"

She only waited to hear his answer without responding, "Don't get caught up monologuing in the middle of a fight…"

Ahsoka leaped from the tall trees in the forest, with her two blue lightsabers swinging down on her opponents defense, Sister barely had seconds to defend against this as she was forced to drop her grip on Ben, collapsing to his knees, Ahsoka engaged with the Inquisitor in combat. Ahsoka used her unique reverse grip Jar'Kai form to swing offensively at the dual-bladed fighter, crossing blades again and again as their movements were far too fast for him to keep up with.

The former Jedi swung down with one blue saber being defended by the top-end of the Sister's lightsaber; crimson clashing against bright cobalt blue energy sent sparks out around their feet, symbolizing the darkness attempting to overwhelm the balance. Flashes of light reminded him of a rave of some sort, twirling their sabers with expert precision, any more coordinated and they would be dancing. Ahsoka grunted as the crimson collided against her guard, pushing her back on her heels through the dirt before she purposefully fell to her back allowing the Sister to fall forwards on top of her. Using her powerful legs to kick the woman over her head behind her before nimbly flipping back to her feet with a single movement.

Sister recovered quickly as she advanced again, they were evenly matched in raw dueling skill; Ahsoka managed to defend against both blades successfully with two of her own, even though this Inquisitor was clearly trained in staff-combat.

Slowly though, the Second Sister wore her opponent down, pushing her back as they swiftly collide; her back hit the trunk of a tree as she ducked under a swing that cleaved said tree in two perfectly, toppling it backwards. Less than a second after the swing, before the tree had even fallen, she used both palms to force push the inquisitor back through the air, giving her room to breathe.

Ben recovered quickly but, the other two were so fast, they'd already done so much; he quickly found Ahsoka's older lightsaber in the grass, force pulling it into his hands and quickly igniting it now surrounding the Second Sister with three energy blades two blue and one bright green. It almost reminded him of the glow his watch used to give off when he went hero, he huffed as he didn't yet notice the blood over his hands. While she was slightly perplexed as to how he found her original saber, Ahsoka was relieved to have his training pay off without need for reminder.

The inquisitor backed away, twirling her dual-bladed saber as the other two closed in on her, "I am but one of many, do you truly believe you can keep him from turning to the dark-side?" she aimed her question at Ahsoka specifically as if they spoke with some knowledge that Ben didn't yet have.

"I do," stated plainly and confidently, curving a small smile as she glanced once back at Ben who seemed more focused on the battle.

Second Sister scoffed and lowered her mask once again, shrouding her face in darkness, "Than you are a bigger fool than I thought!" she slashed at the ground creating smoke and fire, hiding her presence from them as she retreated back into the dense woods out of sight.

Ben charged after her but, was pulled back by Ahsoka's hand gripping his forearm, her hands were incredibly soft to the touch which was relieving to him, a sense of calm, "We need to leave, she's already gotten away," pulling him towards where she'd made her entrance, back towards the ship that would whisk them away from this nightmare.

"We can still catch up to her and…" he tried to reason his better judgement told him to go after the attacker that was getting away.

Ahsoka turned around, noticing him wielding her saber as if it were his own, looking back to where Second Sister escaped to; she used the force to disable his lightsaber, deactivating it, "First off, you stole this from me," she sounded angrier than he had ever heard her as she took the hilt from his hands, "Clearly proving you aren't ready for one and second, she would have made contact with reinforcements as soon we lost sight of her," she continued guiding him back to her ship by the forearm as he seemed a bit dazed, "That means we should be expecting company any minute."

…

They made it back safely to her ship as the ramp remotely extended for them into the dirt, Ahsoka stopped for a moment noticing a thundering boom cut through the sky as Imperial TI-Fighters flew overhead. She ran inside and jumped into the pilot's seat closing the hatch behind them, they quickly fired up the engines and took off into the atmosphere, waiting until the instant they could light-speed jump into hyperspace.

Four small single pilot fighter-drones were on their tail, firing crimson energy cannons out at their ship, each bolt only being narrowly avoided by her expert piloting skills; Ahsoka did her best to dodge and weave her way into orbit but, they would never make it in time at this rate. The ships were closing in on her and preparing to fire, Ben could feel it in his bones; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, staring out the small window in the back, watching the enemy approach from behind through the reinforced window behind them.

She only turned to look for a quick moment but, noticed as he reached out, not just with his hands but, with the force clearing his mind with every passing moment. He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly; in orbit, all four ships were suddenly caught in his powerful force grip as his eyes flashed with a twinge of bright yellow, he didn't even flinch his facial expression though as the change was subtle.

He simply reached out with his hand once focused, and quickly made a fist once sure that he had them caught; they were all crushed and forcibly plowed into one another, combusting into a massive ball of flames. Ben opened his eyes slowly as a tear formed in his eyes against his control, Ahsoka turned back to her controls and quickly activated the faster than light jump once they were out of the atmosphere, rocketing into a hyperspace lane; after stabilizing their course and setting the autopilot for the core-worlds, she turned the pilot's seat around to face him.

He was still looking out the window only he'd lowered his hand back down to his side; he was just staring aimlessly out into lines of light that stretched across his vision at this point. She stood unsure of what to say or do, approaching and putting a hand on his shoulder, turning him around but not expecting him to have tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Ben, are you okay?" Ahsoka asked calmly, lowering her hand from caressing his shoulder.

"I've never actually killed anyone before…" he muttered slowly.

Ahsoka exhaled and immediately understood what he meant with that tone of voice, she put her hands on his shoulders as he stared out behind her, she guided him to her bed sitting him down in her bunk with enough room for her to sit next to him. "You did what you had to do, Ben. They didn't give you any choice, we'd both be dead if it weren't for you."

"I spent my entire life trying to do good, to be a hero, and I just murdered half a dozen people…" he stared at the smear of blood on his hands layered with a thin line of dust, whether it was his own or one of the clones, he couldn't be sure, "I hardly even remember doing it, like it was an instinct to survive that gave me an edge, I…I…" she noticed he was panicking as his breath started to quicken, he would hyperventilate if she didn't calm him down.

"Shh," Ahsoka shushed him and pulled him into her chest, letting his tears sob into her shoulder, feeling his skin against her bare neck gave her a twinge of goosebumps, "Remember lesson one, balance, with great light comes great darkness to follow; you have this powerful goodness in you, and the Empire will stop at nothing to snuff it out."

Ben pulled back a few inches and wiped his tears on his black t-shirt for a minute or two, "What do we do?" he finally muttered, looking deep into her bright blue eyes that sparkled with a radiating calmness. He looked away as his cheeks started to heat up, turning a bit red which she noticed, reaching out to place a finger on his chin.

Ahsoka drew his attention back to her words by pulling his face towards hers with her index finger, caressing his skin for a moment, "We continue your training, we make sure they can't ever hurt you, I won't let them, I promise," she looked down into his emerald glimmering eyes, giving him a warm smile that assured him things would be okay with her; "We have a course set and fuel for the next few days… we should try and rest."

Ben was silent even though he calmed down a bit, standing up and making his way to the shower without a sound, sliding the automatic door behind him; he looked himself in the mirror and noticed patches of facial hair growing under his lower-lip and chin, and his physique was gaining a bit of definition. He took off his robes and dropped them, leaving nothing but his pants on as he looked back down at his bloody dirty hands.

He hardly even recognized himself anymore, as time started to slowly pass day by day since he'd last been home he saw less of himself in the mirror every morning and now… he was almost totally unfamiliar. He washed off the dirt and blood before stepping out of the shower; now that they were in space again, they had limited water supply, so he made sure to only get the essentials clean like his body and hair. He put his pants back on and stared at the blood splattered on his robes and belt, made of the same green jacket he used to call himself a hero in. Ben only sighed as he grabbed them and stepped out of the bathroom in just his pants, tossing them in the laundry device on the wall as Ahsoka watched him, his expression was so lifeless and cold compared to how he normally behaved.

From her experience, Ben was always filled with such optimism that could make her laugh even at the saddest of times, and now it was unstable and fragile; "So… how exactly does it fold the clothes?" he said staring at the machine he'd tossed his clothes in, clearly in deep thought about something else.

Ahsoka was still sitting on the comfortable bunk but, he didn't even turn to look at her as she patted down the blanket flat, "You need rest…" she answered simply by standing up and grabbing his hands, pulling him toward her as their eyes met again she could still see the powerful goodness still within him but, frightened and alone, "Come," she noted.

Neither said a word as they both sat down side by side, she slid back closer to the wall to give him room to sit next to her, he seemed a bit uncomfortable and his face turned beet red spite his expression not changing. Ahsoka gave him a warm smile as she placed her hand gently on his chest, pushing him down flat on his back where his head hit the pillow they would share that night, he stared up at the ceiling of the ship, all but entirely accustomed to incomprehensibly fast travel.

She pulled the cover over their legs, reaching out and running the tips of her fingers over his developing pectorals and abs; it wasn't just for him as she felt a heat in her own chest, one that made her just as comfortable if not more so. Ahsoka spent the night with her head placed firmly on his chest listening to the rhythmic bump of his heartbeat, how could she not when there was such an an odd sense of peace overcoming her when she laid with him. Simply grazing his chest with her fingertips until it lulled them both to sleep, it was the most peaceful rest either of them had in years.

…

A regular Star Destroyer like that of Vader's flag ship would be about the size of a small town, capable of handling thousands of people; this same ship was swallowed by the massive Imperial Star Destroyer controlled by the Emperor himself and the only person who could order Darth Vader to do anything.

Upon this very ship, Vader approached a throne room where his master resided, approaching a massive entity cloaked in shadows. He bowed his helmeted head before quickly dispatching with such niceties, he tossed the Second Sister in front of the throne without mercy.

**"Instead of bringing me the boy, you have presented me with this… thing,"** a cracked and raspy voice echoed ominously from the darkness over the throne, though only Vader could truly see him with the scanners in his helmet.

"This is the inquisitor that failed me, under direct order from you, master."

Second Sister looked up at the throne and gained her composure, she drew her blade and ignited her dual bladed crimson saber which illuminated a pale, skeletal man with glowing veiny yellow eyes and long lanky arms hanging from his cloak.

Vader's respirator was the only sound in the room until he ignited his own crimson blade in preparation to defend his master, not taking any fighting stance was still threatening enough, however; the Emperor motioned for him to stand down, which he did not hesitate to obey. Retracting his saber back into the hilt.

Without warning, Second Sister's arm suddenly snapped via an outside force, dropping the lightsaber and screaming in agony as she reached to hold the fractured arm, **"Human flesh, what a fragile thing… to draw your weapon against me is to draw your weapon against the Empire," **he punctuated his sentence by hitting her with intense bolts of cackling blue lighting from his fingertips with enough voltage to power the entire ship ten times over.

"AGHHHH!" she shouted in agony as the bolts shot from her body, conducting into the floor below sending sparks up across the metallic floors.

Darth Vader simply watched as she was tortured, he knew after failing to kill Ahsoka Tano when he had the chance would be punished if he didn't provide someone to be tortured in his stead, it was either her or him on the floor; he tortured himself enough as it is, mentally and physically, the suit he wore never allowed him to sleep, it was cumbersome and difficult to maneuver in, and slowed him down immensely. He was already paying his dues; it was her turn.

He finished her electrocution and turned to his apprentice from the smoldering body, **"Find the boy, bring him to me, and do not fail me again."**

"Yes, my master."

…


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

Author Note: This is Ben from before Season 3 of Alien Force; he isn't unreasonably arrogant or insufferable.

**Deep Space**

Ben woke up about eight hours later, he hadn't had a full night's worth of rest since he arrived in the desert, so to wake up not only in Ahsoka's bed but, with her curled up into his side was more than surprising. Flashes of memory spun through his head as he recalled the events leading up to this moment, he had taken his first life, several lives. Sleep was but a distant memory now though, all he could see was the clone's head toppling off of his body, he didn't know fights could get so violent, even when he would transform into planet destroying super giants, he'd never seen something so permanently burned into his psyche.

He noticed Ahsoka's hand stretched lazily across his chest, with her head tucked firmly into the nook of his shoulder; she was even more attractive up close, her lips were a darker burgundy shade but, they seemed plump and soft like any other persons would. Seeing her tribal markings up close, he confirmed they were organic white birthmarks on her skin forming an elegant design across her cheeks and forehead. He reached up and grabbed her hand, taking it in his as she reacted unconsciously, digging her head and montrals into him as though he were a pillow. Her leg instinctively wrapped around one of his but, she didn't wake up and she was clearly comfortable, _"Ben..."_ she mumbled in her sleep with a smile.

He'd felt a connection with Ahsoka since the moment they met on Jakuu, and things had only progressed since then; he liked to think he was mature for his age but, meeting an attractive alien woman who slowly falls in love with you sounded too much like a sci-fi movie to him. Still he'd seen far crazier since becoming a hero so, how could he judge when it was happening right before him? He was torn between trying to fall back asleep and getting up to grab something to eat but, he couldn't deny that he was incredibly comfortable here with her, luckily he didn't have to think for long on his decision as an alarm went off on the dashboard, ensuring they were both awake. It wasn't an emergency alarm but, one that beeped like an alarm clock which was precisely what it was.

She yawned a bit, stretching her arm and unclasping his hand as her eyes fluttered open and she looked up as they made eye contact, "Hi…" she muttered. He was obviously already awake, so she took a second to gather her composure, but once she realized how close they were she pulled back, separating their bodies with a flustered expression.

"Hey," he responded with a small smile, trying to forget the day prior, "I didn't want to wake you up," he chuckled as she sat up and stretched.

After a few minutes she finally pulled the covers back, slipping out of her bunk and approaching the cock-pit, shutting off the alarm, "I, uhm, set us an eight-hour course to the core worlds, I didn't bring it up because we had other things on our minds but," she turned and grabbed her tote bag from beneath the dashboard, taking the lightsaber she'd bought out and showing it to him, "This belonged to my master but, it somehow ended up on a planet hundreds of parsecs away."

Ben sat up as well, cracking his neck and adjusting his back, "No offense but, you said your master was dead so, where are we taking his saber?"

She scoffed and stood from the pilots seat, taking a seat next to him, "There's only one person in the Galaxy that I know is alive and can trust with something like this, Obi-Wan Kenobi…" she switched the lightsaber into her other hand and put a palm on his knee, "I figured you weren't in a rush to continue training after what happened so, I planned a little side quest."

He stared at her hand, he could still hear the sound of the saber slicing through flesh, echoing in his mind, "That's fine by me, I can keep perfecting what I _have_ learned… who needs their own lightsaber?" he chided.

She put her master's weapon down and stood up, folding her arms, "I hate to say this but, you do. After the Empire made the Galactic City their home base of operations, even the more obscure parts of the planet are dangerous."

"So, we just need to hand over a metal-stick to this Kenobi guy, no sweat, right?"

Her expression softened, "The last time I spoke to Obi-Wan was after the Jedi purge, I received a warning from him about the Empire just after he escaped the temple. I asked him for help with a siege on another planet but, _Darth Vader_ happened."

Her face twisted when she said his name, she felt a heartless monster beneath a shell of armor and more power in the force than even her master wielded; Ben noticed this and stood up abruptly to change the tune of the conversation, "So, why would Obi-Wan be on the same planet controlled by the Empire?"

She shook her head and smiled, "He's not but, I know where to find someone who knows where he is, a friend to the Republic during the Clone Wars."

She turned around and stared down at her masters saber, force pulling it casually off the seat and back into her hands; Ben came from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his chin on her neck, "Any friend of yours, right?"

"Right…" she muttered, pulling away again, slowly.

…

By the time they took care of basic hygiene and dressed themselves properly, Ahsoka handed Ben a brown cloak to cover his person as she sported her own white cloak that he slept with on his second night; they landed in a guest parking strip on the outskirts of the major city in the region, the bar was several stories tall and had a significant amount of parking space in the form of several garages.

As they latched themselves to the ground, parking their ship; Ahsoka grabbed her old lightsaber out from under the dashboard where she'd left it after yesterday's attack. She turned to Ben and attached a brown holster to his emerald belt, allowing him to holster the weapon she presented to him.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Just for emergencies, otherwise you can just follow my lead, don't make a scene no matter what you see. I can't force-talk our way out of everything."

"Duly noted," he took the saber and holstered it, hidden beneath the cloak; "I'm ready when you are…" Ahsoka grabbed her tote as they opened the hatch, it was raining which was a perfect cover for hiding themselves beneath cloaks. Closing and locking their ship behind them, they walked off towards the bar where Ahsoka knew she'd find her informant.

It was a bustling planet sized city with a population of thirty-seven billion and growing so, they tried their best to blend into the crowd of the narrow streets.

They finally reached their destination, the bar was known as 'The Ante' which implied it also supported gambling and other shady activities; She knocked on the door twice which received a horizontal slit sliding open and a pair of eyes staring down at them.

Ahsoka spoke up first without hesitation, "Spire."

He narrowed his eyes, snorting, and slamming the mechanism without a word, "Well, we tried…" Ben attempted to walk away but, she grabbed his arm.

"Patience," She smiled.

The door sent pressurized steam out as it slid open with a loud mechanical clank, the bar was densely populated with loud music and flashing lights; as they were led in by personal security, they passed the party, "What did you tell them?"

"I used a codeword most of his private spice smugglers use, he probably wants to know who the snitch was who told me…" she whispered.

"He, who?"

"Shh."

She didn't answer as they approached the VIP lounge, behind the velvet curtains and buff and armed security detail, a man with a skeletal appearance but, baggy, pale skin dropping down his face was sitting among many drugs and alien-liquor being passed around without hesitation; he was dressed in formal attire, had his feet up on the table and two relatively attractive strippers on either side of him.

"Tell me," he said as he puffed from a sort-of laser hookah, "Who is it that's using my secret spice running codes willy-nilly…" he uttered with a raspy voice, taking a sip of his drink and coughing abruptly.

"That stuffs bad for your lungs..." Ben said as Ahsoka elbowed him.

The man took his feet down and stood up, pulling the nozzle from his mouth, "That's what everyone tells me..." he folded his arms, "But, I just cant seem to stop putting my nose where it doesn't belong," as he said this his security detail entered the room, placing hands on their ray-gun weapons, "So, thank you for the advice, i'll take it deeply under consideration."

Ahsoka didn't look up at him but, eye'd his men surrounding them, slowly moving her arm to her hip, "I need information, you're the only one I know who has it."

"You know me?" he said waving his security to take a step back.

"Through reputation," she flashed the holster to her gleaming saber hilt, "We don't want any trouble, just the information and we'll go."

His security took immediate action causing Ben to also place a hand on his saber hilt; they pulled their laser-pistols and aimed it at the two force wielders, "We can pay for your services, you just need to answer one question."

He motioned for his security to stand down with a snap of his fingers, they returned to their positions outside the curtains this time, "You should have led with that, young lady, If you know my reputation as an information broker, you must be aware of my fee," he put his feet back up and tapped his fingers together confidently.

She pulled from her tote bag her last, shorter lightsaber, the one she wielded along side the one Ben currently held during the Clone Wars. She ignited the yellow-greenish short blade in front of him and waved it around before deactivating it, "A rare Jedi weapon, after the purge only a few are left, I'm sure this is worth more than enough."

Ben grabbed her arm from behind, "Are you sure?"

"Shh," she said for the second time.

He grabbed it from her and inspected the craftsmen ship, the metallic grip and he even took a minute to undo a small panel which revealed the glowing crystal within; it was Ben's first time ever seeing a kyber in person, fascinating. He closed the hatch and handed the saber to his lackey sitting next to him who took it away, "What is your question?"

"Where is Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

The entire table became silent as The Ante looked around at his thugs, "Leave us, now."

They did as they were told without a word, getting up and leaving their boss alone with the two mysterious strangers, "Why do you want this information, are you with the Empire."

"I paid for the information, not follow up questions."

He held his hands out, chuckling, "Don't be so defensive, i just have to choose my battles with who I'm dealing with; it would be a shame if I accidentally leaked such sensitive information to the wrong people," he narrowed his eyes and coughed, "I recognize you, you ran around with Kenobi and his Jedi Knight friend back in the day, didnt you?"

"Yes, that was me," she confirmed.

"Such a shame what happened to Skywalker..."

Suddenly, she raised her brow, sitting down for the first time, "What do you know about that?"

"Peaked your interest, have I?"

She became frustrated, "The saber is worth more than one question, just tell me what I need to know."

He looked around and waved her to lean in closer, Ben took this opportunity to sit down next to her, listening as well, "I heard, being the chosen one and all that, he escaped the temple _with_ Kenobi; Vader chased them to Mustafar where he," Ante startled her by slamming his fist down on the table, shaking the drinks, "_Boom_, strikes down Skywalker, leaves Kenobi runnin' with his tail between his legs."

She pondered this answer and refocused her attention, "And what about Obi-Wan?"

"I don't know where he went after Order 66, he defeated General Grievous in single combat and then vanished until he was spotted by marauders on Mustafar," Ahsoka connected the dots in her head, Obi-Wan must have been there when Vader killed her master.

"_You were my brother Anakin, I loved you!"_

"_I HATE YOU!" _Still confused on what to make of these visions, she was snapped from her daze half a minute later by Ben grabbing hold of her hand under the table, discreetly, "So, you have no way of finding him now?"

"I never said anything like that," he reached into his jacket pocket, patting himself down, "One second, it's around here somewhere," he checked different compartments across his attire until he pulled from his pocket a blue microchip of some kind, "This is a partial copy of an R2 unit's memory bank, it contains a map that could lead you to Kenobi but, I cannot guarantee it. That is all I know regarding the Jedi."

She grabbed the chip and tucked it beneath her belt, "Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation."

"Of course! Pleasure doing business with you," they stood up and turned around, vanishing into the crowded club, waiting only a few minutes until they were out of earshot to order one of his goons to approach him, "Contact the Imperial Government," he demanded as he sipped his drink, "Tell them I have information about two Jedi roaming the planet and wish to negotiate a price for my services…"

…

As they approached the parking lanes, he noticed an alien cafe of some sort, without the comforts of a fridge and parents, he was no longer even close to picky with his choice in meals, "That went smoothly, right?" he noticed the smell of cooked meat in the air and small puffs of smoke coming from the eatery.

"Yea, smoother than I thought, lets count our blessings and get moving," she was about to proceed towards the lot where they had parked but, was stopped in her tracks by Ben grabbing her arm as he pointed at the shop only a few hundred feet away.

"C'mon, we have enough time for one meal, I mean you have credits to spare since you decided to trade the saber as payment," he reasoned with her, staring into her bright blue eyes as she saw a sparkle of emerald in his; what were these feelings and why did she suddenly want to spend any time she could with him? Her thoughts were interrupted as he continued, "It wouldn't kill you to have a little fun, get our minds off of the more stressful things? Like cutting the heads off people?" he finished his sentence my sliding his hands down her arm to her hand, grabbing hold again.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," she blushed as a rose-pink color shaded in her cheeks, giggling as he pulled her toward the restaurant; they managed to enter undetected and got two bar seats hidden in plain sight.

Ahsoka ordered them both drinks and hot meals, alien meat was all but completely normal for him at this point, as he didn't hesitate to eat at all. Within a few minutes they were all but done with their individual meals and only had drinks left in front of them, as they drank, they became slightly inebriated from the foreign liquor-esque drinks they ordered, only Ben didnt really devote himself to finishing the drink.

Laughing and telling stories, Ben spoke up, "So, among the millions of aliens I did have access to, I constantly got the smallest, weakest, choices in a fight; became kind of a theme, after a while..."

She giggled uncharacteristically loud, "You could've transformed into any of millions of aliens? That's so... interesting, technology like that doesn't exist here," she took another sip of her drink, becoming even more intoxicated and starting to slur her words, "I don't think i've ever met someone like you, ever..." she scooted closer to him, sliding her chair forward.

Ben was still not even seventeen years old and although he figured the laws didn't matter out in space, he still didn't have the stomach for drinks like these, so he'd only had a few sips of his, if even that much, unlike his master. Over the course of an hour, she had several different drinks and refills, until it was becoming a tad too noticeable. Her eyes were a tad glossed over and her smile was a bit unsettling, but maybe that was because she was looking like a hungry animal staring at its prey.

She hiccuped suddenly and propped her chin on her hand, "You were so right, this is- _hic_ -nice to just take a second to relax and not worry about training or missions," she scooted a bit closer till they were officially close enough for Ahsoka to put two fingers down on the bar, mimicking two feet, she walked her fingers up the bar and onto Ben's arm, up his bicep.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? I mean, I think you've had enough to drink…" he chuckled and grabbed her cup, pulling her glass from her side of the bar, and sitting it next to his for safe keeping.

She giggled again loudly as her cheeks blushed even harder, "See, you're so wise, maybe y-you should be teaching _me_!" she said a bit too loudly but, on her own accord, shushed herself, "Shhh!" she grabbed Ben's shoulders, "We're undercover…" taking only a second to start laughing again at absolutely nothing, he pulled back from her again.

Facepalming, he grabbed both drinks and dumped them over the bar, into the sink; grabbing Ahsoka's tote while she looked up at the ceiling dazed, he payed the bartender appropriately, or as well as he could with the understanding of their currency. He stood up to leave and she stood with him, trying her best to focus on keeping her balance until Ben grabbed her arm to support her.

"You're so sweet, I don't think I've- _hic_ -had these feelings for anyone before and I'm real- _hic_ -sorry that I have a hard time telling you- _hic_ -how I feel…" She muttered as they made their way through the crowd and exited the bar; he turned the corner heading towards the lot where they parked their space-craft, he had her arm around his shoulder to avoid her tripping over herself, "I'm a trained- _hic_ -warrior... person, i should be able to tell a guy that i like him!" she punched her own palm and burped a bit.

"Maybe we should talk about this when you sober up," he chuckled, but she had other plans as she spun around grabbing his shirt.

"I know I think you feel- _hic_ -the same way," she pursed her lips and closed her eyes and, it was an opportunity he had and he had to make a choice; He stepped back as she toppled forward, into his arms as she almost tripped as her advance was declined, "Oh man, I'm so sorry, I- _hic_ -am so embarrassed I totally read -_hic_\- this wrong…" she pulled away covering her face with her hands, "I'm so stupid..."

He approached and reached under her cloak, taking hold of her shoulders just under her sleeveless vest, making turquoise-emerald eye contact beneath their cloaks, "It's nothing like that, I think you're amazing in so many different ways but, you aren't in the right mindset to be having this type of talk," he scoffed as he held his head, feeling a tad light headed, "Shit, maybe neither am I, let's get back to the ship."

She nodded as they continued their way to the parking lanes, she locked arms with him until she started holding her head, suddenly feeling nauseous. Ben turned to take a short-cut through an alley, as he did, he felt as though someone was watching them; sensing through the force the intentions of someone behind them, and in front around the corner, as well. He put a hand out as Ahsoka walked into it, stopping in her tracks as he put his hand on his saber, "We're not alone…"

"I can't sense anything," she responded, burping a bit as she covered her mouth out of embarrassment, "My head is spinning... I... Ben, I don't feel right," he turned to watch her collapse to her knees before he caught her by the lower back, keeping her from hitting her head on the floor; he laid her down and she was only still for a second or two as she started seizing out.

From either end of the alley came two men in black and white armor and thick masks, each wielding large rifles and thick jet-packs strapped to their backs, almost identical in appearance. "What did you do to her!" Ben shouted as he force-pulled his lightsaber quickly out from its holster, igniting it and also giving him a better source of light. The emerald blade simmered in the light-rain that still lingered over the city, he held it out as they aimed their weapons at him from either side, he could take them both, but he wouldn't take them out until he knew what was happening.

A clap of thunder erupted from the sky as one of the men spoke up, his voice modified by his mask, "You wouldn't have to be worrying about this if you had just drank all your poison like a good target but, they always make it hard," he took aim and fired a beam of red from behind but, Ben was skilled enough to turn and deflect it into a row of dumpsters with his saber, causing them to explode in a large fire.

"I dunno! I like it when they make it harder! It's more of a challenge," the other bounty hunter announced as he pulled pistol from his belt and fired several rounds, each one being dodged around, the resulting blasts nearly hitting his partner on the other side of the ally. This stunned both bounty hunters as Ben rushed in and swung at the closest one, he tried defending by swinging his rifle like a sword but, the green-saber melted through it like butter and finally he force pushed him back twenty feet into a brick wall.

"Tell me how to cure her!" he shouted as he turned on a dime and deflected another blast that ricocheted off the saber and struck the alley wall, blowing a hole in the building; the hunter slowly got to his feet, dusting brick off of his suit.

"Hah, I'm the only one with the antidote and she'll expire any minute now anyways so it doesn't matter, you can't save her," he fired his large weapon again, this time Ben brutally switches his stance just as he pulled the trigger, deflecting the resulting blast behind him, hitting his recovering teammate in the center of the chest. It pushed him off his feet, through the air, hitting the brick wall once again. He looked down at the baseball sized hole in his chest, and slowly fell to his knees, sputtering blood into his mask.

Ben stepped in front of Ahsoka's body, pointing his lightsaber at the remaining hunter, "Give me the cure to whatever you poisoned her with and i'll let you live!" he was bluffing, he didn't even mean to kill the first one and certainly didn't plan on going for the kill now.

"Too late, the drug has probably paralyzed her body by now, you'll never get her to drink it even if i gave it to you!" he kept his rifle at eye level as Ben looked back down to his... teacher? friend? He wasn't even sure what she was to him yet and couldn't let things end here; the mercenary fired another energy bolt at him only this time, the entire ally and the two adjacent buildings shook as the force stopped the beam mid-air.

Ben turned toward the hunter with a serious glare, lifting his right hand, the beam of light vibrated, aching to be released from mid-air; the hunter had his finger millimeters from pulling the trigger again before being paralyzed by overwhelming force prowess; "You're going to give me the antidote or I'm going to break every single bone in your body."

"Go… to… hell!"

He force pushed the hunter up against the wall, ten feet off the ground before telekineticly forcing him face first into the juxtaposed wall, cracking his helmet, "Give me the antidote!" Ben pulled him through the air, holding him above the now massive dumpster fire, "Now!"

"Fine! Fine! Right pocket, third vile to the left, just put me _down_!" he shouted as Ben closed his eyes and searched his opponent's person where he had described, pulling it out of the precise pocket, he stared for a second, wondering if he should drop the man in the fire anyways, suffer for the suffering of others and all that but, he knew the truth was it was simple revenge, and he wasn't a murderer. He tossed the man through the ally way with a gesture, hitting the brick wall and collpasing unconscious next to his dead comrade.

The vile floated into his right hand as, with his eyes still closed, he lifted Ahsoka off the ground and she too floated into his arms as he walked forward; he felt her pulse slowing and her life force diminishing. He remembered what the hunter had said about her being paralyzed and incapable of consuming the cure herself, "I swear this is right out of a movie..." he popped the cork and tilted her head towards him, "Seriously cliche," he downed the cure himself, into his mouth where he closed his eyes and connected his lips to her own, spitting the antidote into her mouth, it was gross but also effective. She coughed but, her breathing was strained and her body twitched slightly, every few seconds.

He didn't exactly have much information on what he'd just given her, he needed to hope the hunter was too afraid to lie to him as he quickly flipped his hood up and holstered his saber. Running back to the ship with Ahsoka in his arms, he made sure no one had followed him through the corridors of the garage as he took her to the ship. Her bag had the keys as he unlocked the loading bay and quickly brought her in, lying her on the bunk; he locked down the ship and grabbed a pouch of fresh water from the supplies she purchased the day prior.

Sitting next to her and holding her head up, allowing water to slip down her throat, "Drink this, please, be okay…" she choked on it a bit as she suddenly took a gasp of breath, sitting up shocked as she looked around frantically, "It's okay, you're okay," he said this to her but, he felt as though he was telling himself to make sure he didnt have a panic attack of his own.

She held her aching head, "W-What happened?"

"You were poisoned, I took care of it..." he ran his fingers down her montral, giving her a smile.

"I was careless, I'm so sorry," she said as she recalled the events, remembering everything up until just before the fighting commenced, "Are we safe, what happened to the bounty hunters?"

"I think we should leave here pretty soon but, I took care of them, don't worry," as she took deep breaths, she looked down and up at Ben, "Do you have the map, we need to check if its valid…"

She was surprised by how well he handled things, compared to just yesterday he was already adjusting to this more violent life style; he was impressing her more and more every day she knew him, "Right… right," she pulled the chip from her belt and made her way to the cockpit computer navigation system. She inserted the chip and as it loaded, she found exactly what she was looking for, "This is it," a large holographic map of the galaxy leading to a large planet in the mid rim, several weeks away, "This is a map from R2-D2's memory bank, a droid that accompanied him on his journeys through the Galaxy, this is legitimate."

Ben let loose a sigh of relief, sitting back on the bunk and slumping over, "You were right about needing the lightsaber."

She turned from the map and held her still nauseated stomach, "Ben, you saved my life... I don't know how to thank you for that."

He chuckled, "How about you just keep saving my ass and i'll do the same for you, deal?"

She giggled, genuinely this time, "Deal," she turned back to the monitors and screens, tapping the plastic keyboard as things loaded, "Listen," she interrupted quickly as she still faced the console, submitting coordinates into her ships navigation system, "About what I said while I was… intoxicated."

"You mean drunk?"

"I wouldn't call it that, it was a fluke, I was poisoned which clearly had me saying crazy things…" she collected herself while unlatching the ships lock and started the automatic take off, "We can just forget I ever said anything at all."

Ben sat up, staring at the floor as he took his cloak off and laid it with Ahsoka's, "What if I don't want to."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, still facing away from him, "Come again?" she focused on prepping the ship as it took off into the atmosphere, exiting the planets gravitational field and hitting lightspeed in a matter of a minute or two, Ahsoka proceeded to turn facing him.

"I liked what you said, I don't want to forget," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

She stood up and held her elbows, facing away for a moment, "You didn't seem interested in the ally before everything happened."

He stood up and took the saber off his belt, kneeling down with a chuckle as he grabbed her metal-case, plopping her saber into the case and closed it, "I didn't kiss you back because you were wasted, I'm just not the type of person to take advantage of people, I have told you the part where I was a hero where I come from, right?"

She gave a short smile, playing with the tip of her head-tails, "So, you don't think I'm a repulsive alien," she said sarcastically.

He took a step forward, into her close quarters, he found it incredibly attractive that he was nearly an inch or two taller than her, yet she could still wipe the floor with him if she wanted, he was always interested in stronger women, "I think you're perfect," he placed a hand on her cheek and grazed her skin slowly, giving her goosebumps, he closed the distance between his lips and hers.

She was surprised at first but, let herself melt into his embrace as he pulled her in closer, grabbing her waist with his free hand still cupping her cheek. She wasn't sure what to expect but, the sparks that flew were inconceivable to her, emotions she'd never had before, being so strictly taught by the Jedi Order, she almost never had time for these types of material attachments.

They separated slowly, pressing their foreheads together, Ahsoka laughed first but, she caused Ben to start chuckling as well; "Wow," she whispered.

"Wait," he kept a smile as he backed up a few inches, "Was that your first kiss?" he chuckled harder this time as her face heated up.

She responded by grabbing the hand he had on her waist and bending his wrist back swiftly until he yelped in pain, "Yea, so?"

"Nothing! That's totally, completely fine," he shook his hand and laughed nervously, "I was just messing around."

"Good," she hugged him tightly for a second before backing away, placing her hands behind her back, "I've never done this before so, I don't know what to do, I don't want things to change but, I don't want this to stop either," she approached her bunk, sitting down in a heap after an exhausting day, she felt taxed and still a bit nauseous.

"Hey, I can go back to sleeping on the floor if you want," he sarcastically said as he guessed correctly that she'd giggle and pull him into the bunk with her.

"Shut up…" they got close to kissing again, as their lips nearly connected, Ahsoka suddenly pulled back.

"What, is it my breath?"

She shook her head and her face turned a slight shade of green, "No, I think I'm gonna-" she covered her mouth and sprinted for the bathroom, puking her guts up into the toilet bowl, expelling the poison and alcohol.

Ben chuckled as he heard her shout echoing from within the porcelain bowl, "Not funny!"

…

Ben might seem a bit Out of Character but, I think that's fine.

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Deep Space – 3 Weeks Later**

Ben and Ahsoka sat across from each other within the ship, the lights were dimmed and they were currently traveling through a hyperspace lane at several thousand times the speed of light; they both had their eyes closed and legs crossed, focusing deeply on their connection to the force, not even noticing the cold metallic floors they sat on or the speed they traveled.

"Breath, be mindful of the living force, let it guide you toward balance," Ahsoka stated calmly as she took a deep breath in with Ben simultaneously, "The force is always with you, you only have to be with it as well, let it into your heart."

As he took another deep breath in through his nose, he exhaled, "I am one with the force and the force is with me; I am one with the force and the force is with me," he was in a deep meditative trance as he'd been taught to do, Ahsoka peeked her right eye open as she stared at him to ensure he was on the right track.

"Good, now focus on the pieces in front of you like we've practiced," without changing his position, small metallic pieces and jewels floated up from the floor in front of him even though he couldn't visually see them, they started shifting into synch for him, "Lightsabers use three distinct jewels, with different densities and facets to construct a fully adjustable blade," she explained, "Make sure you don't invert the high-energy reflector cup or the only thing left of you and the saber will be your crystal… once you get it."

He assembled all of the pieces perfectly, opening his eyes with a smile he grabbed the long, silver-chrome hilt with a black grip; he waved it around knowing full-well it was useless until they landed on Ilum.

Ahsoka patted him on the back with a smile, "I think someone is finally ready to find their crystal and build their own lightsaber."

"Is he as handsome as I am?"

She stood up holding her hand out to help him, "No, he's perfect," he reached out and grabbed her helping hand, pulling himself up. She giggled as he came in close with his hands on her lower back, noses touching, simply staring into each other's eyes, laughing.

"We should be approaching Ilum in less than an hour, why don't you disassemble that," she pointed to the saber in his free hand, stepping back and approaching the bathroom, "While I shower and get ready," she unzipped her vest and turned toward the bathroom before taking it off, showing him some skin, "And once you're done getting your kyber crystal, maybe we can celebrate?" she gave him a coy smile over her shoulder and closed the sliding door behind her.

"Wow," he sat down on the bunk as his saber-hilt floated up into the air in front of him, "I wonder if the Forever Knights have put me in another dream-world because this is too good to be true," he smiled as it slowly came apart, individually separating, "I just wish I didn't feel so guilty about not being able to return home…"

He closed his eyes and let those rogue emotions fall away, it was natural to feel them but, he could quiet his mind with the force as to focus on his current goal, "I cant change the past or predict the future, only embrace the present."

Reaching out, he opened a silver case they'd picked up in their travels last week, slowly and carefully placing the individual pieces back into their compartments; he closed the case and placed it under the bed next to the case which held Ahsoka's older blade.

The alarm went off and they exited hyperspace, arriving a few thousand miles from the orbit of a small blue marble, layered in ice with temperatures that of the Arctic Circle on Earth; as he heard the water shut off, he called out to her, taking the pilot seat, "Are you positive I can't just use your old crystal from the saber I've _been_ using!" she'd given him basic lessons in the recent weeks, teaching him to use his gifts with the force to help him through landing and securing the ship.

"Positive," she said as he didn't turn around but, he heard her stepping out of the bathroom, "You need to find your own personal kyber crystal, it will call to you through the force…"

The ship made its way to the surface as Ahsoka sat down in the passenger seat, only what caught his eye was that she was completely topless, Ben has never seen so much skin in person before almost giving him a nose bleed, "A-Ahsoka! WHY?" He shouted quickly darting his eyes away from her solid physique and back to the path as he guided the vessel into the atmosphere.

"Why, what!?"

"You're… I mean you aren't wearing _anything_ to cover… I mean-"

"Neither are you!" she pointed out that he was shirtless as well, which she only did because she had trouble keeping her eyes off of his broadening pecks all morning, "Besides, you said you don't have to wear a shirt all the time when we're in a relationship," she blushed and crossed her arms over her chest, covering herself.

"_Guys_! Guys don't have to wear shirts all time when we live together because we don't have breasts! How did you miss that?"

She darted back to the bathroom and slammed the door, "I don't know! I told you I've never done this before!" she shouted as she heard snickering starting to erupt from the cockpit, "We are never speaking of this!"

She opened the door, properly dressed and flustered, "I swear, there are so many rules and customs to this stuff," grabbing her arctic gear and slipping on a parka and snow-boots; Ben finished landing the plane which was near a massive cliff-side, layered in a thick wall of ice which clearly blocked off a cave, "I don't know how you do it…"

"Look, I haven't been in many relationships either, I'm just doing my best," he looked over and put a hand on hers, comforting her, "I think it's adorable that you have no idea what you're doing for the first time in your life," he chuckled again but, was met with a playful jab to the shoulder.

"Shut up," she giggled as he reached for the mechanism that would secure the ship, "Don't engage the lock, we shouldn't be here for that long," he stood and grabbed his own gear, getting ready for the abrasive weather as they stood on the platform, ready to lower themselves to the ground. As soon as the pod opened, they were exposed to high-winds, snow, and frost as they slipped goggles over their eyes and thick hoods over their heads.

They trekked through the snow, making their way toward the cave only a few hundred feet away, "This is where young Jedi padawans would test themselves to learn to master their force abilities… but, the Jedi don't exist and so this is just a cave."

"It's all blocked, how do we get in?"

They approached slowly after a few minutes, the wind roaring in their ears, Ahsoka approached with her hand out, placing it flat on the ice and closing her eyes; it slowly cracked and shattered, breaking apart a hole large enough for two people to strut slowly inside, out of the wind, "Okay, you need to traverse the cave and find your crystal; meet me back here when you're done," she reached into her tote-bag and grabbed her hold lightsaber hilt, handing it to him, "Normally, this isn't allowed for training Jedi but, like I said…"

He smiled, taking hold of it, "We aren't Jedi, got it," he strapped it to his belt and started through the cave, "Let's go."

She crossed her arms and took a step back, "Sorry, I can't go with you, this is something you have to do on your own."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled and took a few steps forward, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek, "I believe in you."

His cheeks heated up as he formed a goofy smile, "Heh, okay, well, here I go," he turned around and faced the darkened cave, glimmering with dim blue light shining through the ice-walls. He walked through the frozen halls, not finding anything crystal related for quite some time.

After about ten minutes of walking, he turned a corner and found himself faced with a room layered with four doors, each leading down a separate path; he sighed, "Great, a literal fork in the road, now what?"

"_Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts," _Ahsoka's whispering voice echoed in his memories through the force.

"Okay, no sweat, I can do this," he closed his eyes and spun in a three-sixty degree circle, slightly disorienting himself on which hall was in front of him; he felt his way through the force and pointed out randomly at what he felt and when he opened his eyes, he faced the third-path from the right, directly, "Well, that settles that…"

He marched through the abandoned pathway carved through the ice itself who-knows-how-many years ago, it was only another ten or fifteen minutes of walking in relative darkness, which no longer bothered him, before he reached an opening in the path.

He faced a large labyrinth, filled with stalagmites coming from the ground and ceiling; across the room, a bright-purple crystal gleamed among the shadows, standing out for him to see, "That must be it, this wasn't so hard after all," he slowly approached the spire as he heard whispers all around him, too many to tell what they were saying. He walked until he was face to face with the kyber, tempting him to grab it, he could feel it calling to him; as he reached out, he felt another presence with him, something… darker.

He turned on a dime and shouted out of surprise, a figure stood before him; he was identical to Ben in every way, only he had white hair, black robes instead of brown and a red belt instead of green.

"A-Albedo?" he asked.

"No, Ben, I'm not your enemy," he spoke up, taking a few steps closer, "I'm you… or rather, everything you could be," he confirmed this by looking into his eyes, glowing bright yellow instead of red like his evil twins.

"You aren't real… you aren't real; the force is with me and I am one with the force," Ben closed his eyes trying to forget the vision and ignore it but, it demanded his attention.

"Is it though? The force cant guide you anywhere, you need to harness it," he approached Ben and took a step around him, "You may never see your family again; Gwen, Julie, Grandpa Max? Use that pain to make this crystal bleed…" he stared at the crystal marveling at it, "With the power of the dark side of the force, you can find your way back to them…" it was a tempting offer but, he shook the idea from his head.

Ben opened his eyes and turned to his vision, facing the crystal and reaching out towards it; he caught his evil-self's wrist, "Stop, what about Ahsoka? What about her mission?"

He laughed at Ben, "Her? You have her wrapped around your finger! With our gifts in the force and the power of the darkness you can turn her, you can both go back to Earth…"

Ben looked down, contemplating the offer and looking back at the glowing purple crystal behind him, "C'mon? Aren't you tired of all of this, don't you wanna go home to see your parents again? I mean, at this point, who knows what villain has taken over Earth without you there to protect it?" He saw the darkness consume his planet, Gwen, Grandpa, Kevin, Julie, and all of Earth each individually consumed by fire that he could see any number of his past foes starting.

"No…" he muttered, "I won't fail her; my family isn't gone, they're with me always, in my heart, I can feel it and I'll find my own way home," he tried to walk through his vision but, it stopped him by grabbing his wrist, "What?" he only had barely enough time to process this as he was side-kicked in the chest, knocking him back.

"How-"

"You have other concerns," his evil-self spoke ominously, igniting a crimson lightsaber at his side; Ben quickly readied himself, pulling out Ahsoka's blade and lighting up the emerald saber in self-defense, "Embrace the darkness so we can go home!" his opponent swung first, clashing with his green-blade with bright red energy.

They clashed several more times, swinging left and right in a stalemate of skill as they were both of the same mind; while Ben swung his blade to a body target zone on the arms and side, his snow-haired twin vertical chopped at the head, with the goal of vertically bisecting his opponent, and he only failed due to Ben's corresponding parry via a horizontal block. He was attacking to kill.

He swung sideways at the head once more, this time Ben ducked and rolled behind the enemy, allowing him to slice through a stalagmite instead, sending heated sparks across the ice floors. Ben swung down intending to cleave the saber-wielding arm off but, the crimson blade blocked by using a drop parry position with the blade angled downwards behind the duelist's back, forcing the original back as his evil twin approached with the upper hand.

"So, that's it? You're going to spend the rest of your life with this random woman?" He swung upwards, slicing through the ice at Ben's feet, "Forget about your loved ones, your friends, your life!?" he slashed the floors again, as Ben jumped back again.

He came in suddenly with horizontal sideswipes, with Ben's only corresponding counter being a vertical parry position. Shii-Cho sparring drills Ahsoka had taken him through had the handle held at waist height with the blade extended upwards, though other combat forms employed drop parries with the handle held high, Ben tried his best to form his own style of fighting through the combination of different styles. He ducked backwards under the last swing accidently scraping his chest with a thin cut that burnt through his robe. Still, he finally managed to gain some distance between them for him to catch his breath, something the phantom didn't seem to have trouble with. He held his chest and looked down at his hand, blood trickling from his finger tips.

"I told you… my family… is always with me!" He ignored the pain taking the opportunity to close the distance between them, finally going on the offensive, he swung down forcing his clone to take the high guard position, slowly stepping back as he was overpowered.

Ben pushed on his saber sending his twin staggering back a step or two, giving him enough time to focus a wave of force pressure, with two hands he quickly sent the apparition off its feet, across the room. It hit the wall back first, sliding to the ground, "Stop this, I'll never turn!"

As he stood and dropped his crimson blade, he started laughing uncontrollably, "Ben, this is _your_ destiny, I'm in _your_ head," he dusted off his black robes and stared down at his own pale hands, "Your own insecurities haunting _you_… forever!" he suddenly unleashed a powerful wave of force-lightning, striking his green-lightsaber almost instantly, and illuminating the entire room.

He slid back on the ice, slowly skating through snow, even in his boots; bolts of powerful energy struck the room around him as Ben did his best to protect the kyber behind him, three billion joules of pure energy clashing against the saber clearly representing the two ideals clashing in his mind.

"This is not my destiny," he shouted as the sparks flew, even some hitting his face as the energy-blade was slowly being pushed closer to him, "I won't let it!"

He closed his eyes and focused on his connection to the force, the light-side that Ahsoka had taught him to utilize, _"Remember, balance is key, the force will always guide you toward peace, you just have to let it," _his eyes snapped open as the lightning was disrupted and he jumped two feet off the ground unleashing a massive wave of force-energy that spread through the entire room. Deflecting the lightning, vaporizing a crater into the ice as well as everything surrounding him aside from the kyber crystal still waiting behind him, and completely dispersing his evil twin into dust.

He dropped to his feet, Ahsoka's saber was fried and sparking as it clattered on the ground; even though it wasn't there, the force-vision was still fully capable of hurting him, the cut on his chest proved that.

"Wow, this force stuff is intense," he said huffing with his hands on his knees, "That last part was a total shot in the dark, or… light," he chuckled to himself as he turned around, the crystal was waiting for him, glowing brightly as he reached out and wrapped his hands around it.

…

Ahsoka waited at the front of the cave by the frozen wall, leaning against it and looking down at a photograph of herself with Anakin and Obi-Wan, she'd taken it without them realizing but, it was still one of her most treasured memories, spite how her time with the Jedi ended. She shook her head and pocketed the picture, folding her arms, "It's been almost an hour, maybe I should go in after him?" she questioned herself as she heard footsteps from within the cave, where she was facing.

It was no surprise that Ben emerged from the shadows, holding his chest with something else clutched in his free hand, "Oh my god, what happened in there?" she approached with concern, taking his bloody hand and observing the wound, "Who did this to you?"

"I did it to myself… I think," he answered.

She understood now, "You were tested by the kyber, it used its connection to the force to make sure you were pure enough for it; let me see," he opened his hand and showed off the bright glowing purple shard in his gloved hand.

"A purple kyber crystal? These are incredibly rare, I've never even seen one up close, and Master Windu is the only one I've ever known to have found one," he clutched it back in his hands again, reaching to his belt and pulling her friend lightsaber out, no longer sparking.

"Also, the force broke your lightsaber…"

She scoffed with a smile, "Give me that," looking down at it for a moment and reminiscing, she got an idea and took the picture from her pocket, sighing deeply, she approached the cave walls, "It's apart of the past now, it served me well but, I think it's time I left the past behind me entirely," she placed the picture on the ground near the wall, with her broken lightsaber used as a paper weight to hold it down.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," she didn't say another word as she walked back over to him, grabbing his arm and helping him out of the cave and back to the ship so they could treat his injury.

…

He winced in pain as Ahsoka applied an anti-biotic liquid to his chest, if she wasn't so used to it already, grazing her hand across his chest; even though he wasn't fully grown yet, his intense training over the last two months since they met had really brought out his muscle definition and he was even growing a six-pack.

She bandaged him, patting down the tape on his wound and made sure it was settled as he stood up, "How does that feel?"

"Better," he said as he stood up, stretching his arm to the side, "Thanks…" before he could even make eye contact with her, she pulled the case out from under the bed, holding it out for him.

"Are you ready?"

He force pulled the kyber crystal from the dashboard up front, sliding into his hand, "More than I'll ever be," he held out his palm and took his hand away, leaving the crystal floating in midair. He closed his eyes as she opened the case for him, allowing him access to the individual pieces, he was lucky they were able to find most of the mechanical and electrical parts on the way to Illum as the power cells, controls and the high-energy reflector cup all floated out and started connecting.

"Constructing a personalized lightsaber was a right of passage for the Jedi, and a master could build a brand new one in just a few days; you've had weeks of practice, so I know you can do this," she watched as the parts started surrounding the kyber crystal slowly, his fingers waving through the air telekinetically locking different mechanisms together.

As the hilt twisted-together, locking the crystal within, it was complete as Ben opened his eyes and grabbed it out of the air; he looked it over, feeling the specially designed hand-grip and grazing over the golden-trim. The final test was to finally ignite his saber and while Ahsoka didn't flinch, Ben closed his eyes and faced away as he activated it.

Instead of exploding killing them both, Ben opened his eyes facing a bright amethyst-colored plasma blade, "it's beautiful…" she cooed as she almost couldn't take her eyes off it until he deactivated it after waving it around for a minute.

"You are officially one of the fastest learners I've ever met," she said as she took nervous step forwards, she blushed as she reached her arms up around his neck, "But, now that you've completed that task, I think I remember telling you we could celebrate," he smiled brightly as their lips brushed together once again, slowly gaining passion and momentum, until she pulled away.

"How about, you get us back into hyperspace while I shower up and then we can stop at a nearby supply-port, pick up some drinks?"

She glanced down and grazed the bandage covering his wound looking back up, "I love that idea but, remind me to pace myself, the last time we drank did not end well, at all…" she approached the cockpit and sat in the pilots seat, flipping switches and turning knobs that slowly started the engine and prepped the ship for takeoff.

"I distinctly remember _you_ being the only one to drink that night," he looked down at his new lightsaber hilt, smiling brightly, he placed it in the case that once held the individual parts and closed it up, sliding it under the bunk.

"I told you that wasn't funny!" she announced as he chuckled an got into the bathroom.

…

**Six Hours Later**

A massive Star Destroyer exited hyperspace in the blink of an eye, just outside of Ilum's orbit; Darth Vader's flag ship was stationary as a pod was prepped for him in the landing bay.

Through a row of stationary clone troopers, standing at attention, Darth Vader himself strutted towards his personal ship and stopped before boarding, pulling out a small projector which displayed the Emperors throne, "Master, I have sensed a powerful disturbance in the force, I believe it is the child accessing more of his power, I leave now to investigate."

"**Good… ensure that this former Jedi you spoke of doesn't complete the boys training, he shall serve the Empire whether he wants to or not."**

"Yes, my master," he dispersed the hologram and boarded the ship, taking off from his flag ship and heading towards the most sacred Jedi temple in the Galaxy.

He landed closer to the ridge, his suit and respirator made it all but impossible for him to feel the cold temperatures; he walked casually through the snow until he reached the massive wall of ice, noticing the hole leading inside, he touched the edged of the cracked wall with his gloved fingers.

"Ahsoka…" he whispered through his thick breaths.

He stepped inside, sensing that there was nothing alive in the cave around him; he realized quickly that they'd already been here and left, which he was about to do as well until he noticed something on the ground by the cave walls.

He approached and knelt down, brushing his hand against the broken saber-hilt before rolling it out of the way of the picture beneath; it was Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano on one of their first missions, he grabbed the picture holding it closer to his helmet and scanning it with his faceplate.

He stared for about a minute before becoming slowly enraged, crushing the photo in his hands tightly, throwing the past away as he tossed the crumbled photo back onto the ground without hesitation.

…

**One Month Later**

**Planet Ryloth**

Atop a mountain near a semi-active Volcano, twin blades of white met vibrant strikes of amethyst energy as Ben and Ahsoka clashed plasma blades; she was still clearly more skilled than he was but, Ben put up the best fight he could.

He sideswiped her with a horizontal slash colliding with two bright white lightsabers, pushing him back she spun and attempted to strike his shoulder which he ducked under attempting low slashes to her legs, while her corresponding defensive position was a drop parry with the hilt held at her waist.

Ahsoka switched up her fighting style to make use of her unorthodox Shien reverse grip, with her blades behind her and ready for upward swings. Her technique consisted of rapid switches and feints, darting from one side of the battleground to the other to exhaust her opponent. Ben kept his eyes on her even as she flipped overhead and landed behind him, attempting a downward slash down his back.

He learned from his experience on Ilum against his force vision and the extensive training he'd done since then; using a drop parry position with the blade angled downwards behind his back, he brought his purple-blade back upwards to push Ahsoka back and turn around to fight appropriately.

She was certainly faster than Ben and had twice the blades he had to work with so, even keeping up was difficult; he advanced with wide attacks, taking longer to deliver, but were very powerful. Ahsoka didn't seem to have trouble defending, all with the blade held diagonally; upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left, one after the other until she thought she had an opening to swing downwards on him. This backfired when he crouched, growing the distance between the blade and his head long enough to sweep Ahsoka's feet out from under her, landing her on her back.

He straddled her by the waist and held the lightsaber at her neck, she glanced to the side noticing they'd reached the edge of the volcano where molten lava bubbled beneath them.

"Go ahead, do it… end it," she said seriously but, ended her sentence with a smile as he deactivated the saber and leaned down, meeting her lips with his as her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. Their tongues intertwined as neither could think of a more heated and romantic moment to engage in a passionate kiss than after a battle over a Volcano.

As they separated, she looked into his emerald eyes, his entire face glowing from the lava below; "I let you win, by the way…"

"As if," he stood and held his hand out, she grabbed it and helped herself up, "I've been training for months now, I think I've got this down pat."

She scoffed as they walked back towards the summit where they set up their ship for the night, down the steep mountain using the force to keep themselves balanced, "Even if you did master lightsaber dueling, and you definitely haven't, your training with the force will never be finished."

"What does that mean?"

"It means even at eight-hundred years old, the Grand Master of the Jedi still trained and honed his abilities with the force; new abilities will present themselves at unexpected times," she explained as he flash backed to the kyber crystal cave where he used a force explosion to defeat his doppelganger; he withheld this information from Ahsoka simply because he was terrified of becoming the person he met in there.

"Changing the subject," Ben announced as he jumped twenty-feet down to a ridge closer to the ship, which he could now see at the base of the Volcano, "We've been… _together_ for a while now…"

She giggled, "I know, I've learned things about relationships that I never would have known without you," he didn't make eye contact as she landed gracefully next to him.

"Well… I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe label _us_?"

She raised her brow, "I don't understand what you mean? I'm definitely not ready for betrothal or marriage," she finished as she jumped even further down, still as graceful as ever, landing perfectly on the roof of her ship.

"No! No, of course not!" he shouted as hopped down a few ledges and landed next to her, "I just meant, on my planet we have this thing where we test out if we're compatible by… dating."

"Dating?"

"Yea, it's like a sign that says, 'this person is with me and no one else' which we call boyfriend and girlfriend," he was reddening in his cheeks as he looked away which caught Ahsoka's attention.

"So, if I was your _girlfriend_," she said awkwardly taking a step forward, "Would that mean you're in love?"

He got even more flustered at her delight, "Love is a strong word but, I mean, after two months of _being_ with you," he folded his hands behind his back for just a moment, "I know I don't want this to end anytime soon. So, I'll ask, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

She giggled, before bursting out into laughter, "I… I was not expecting laughter," he cleared his throat, "I prepared for rejection but, I wasn't expecting laughter…"

She finished by nudging his shoulder playfully, "You big idiot, of course I know what a boyfriend and girlfriend is, we have those around here too," she looked away with a light chuckle, "I may not know how to _be_ one but, I'm not totally isolated from romance."

He chuckled nervously, "Sorry, I just wasn't sure if-"

She cut him off by pulling him in for yet another kiss, more passionate than the last, cupping his cheeks with her hands, she pulled back an inch after over thirty seconds and put her forehead against his chest, "I'll be your girlfriend, Tennyson, I'm just surprised it took so long for you to ask!" Resuming their kiss, she couldn't remember the last time she was this happy, she was this content; she never wanted to let this moment go but, she knew that time marches forward always.

They individually hopped off the ship and landed in front of the boarding hatch; Ben walked over to the ship and returned with two small rags one of which he tossed to Ahsoka, wiping sweat from their brows.

"So, we're only a few hundred parsecs from the coordinates Ante gave you, do you really think you'll find Obi-Wan there?"

She sighed and looked to the ground, "I sure hope so."

...

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Three Days Later**

**Tatooine**

…

As their ship landed in the outskirts of a large town, with shops and merchants, houses and residents, and even some small vehicles going about their business; as Ben opened the landing hatch and stepped out, he put his hand over his eyes to shade from the double suns above him, which reminded him deeply of his day or two on Jakku. He contemplated for a moment, telling her teacher and girlfriend about the nightmares he'd been experiencing and the fight he had in the cave on Ilum but, he didn't know how to make sense of it, he decided on keeping it to himself.

Ahsoka came from behind him startling him from his thoughts, putting a hand on his shoulder as she gazed out into the town, "Stormtroopers, we can't be seen with lightsabers or robes."

"Well," Ben responded pulling a small blue device from within his robe, "The coordinates you found are still a few hundred miles away… We should head back in and fly a bit closer."

He moved to turn around but, stopped when he felt a petite hand gripping his forearm, Ahsoka smiled, "We _did_ already land, we might as well take advantage of the shops while we can."

"For what? We already picked up rations for the next two weeks and I'm definitely not drinking with you again, you always end up vomiting," he received an elbow to the ribcage as she grabbed his tattered brown robes.

"Do you want to wear this potato sack for the rest of your life?" She asked with a coy smile.

"On Earth, girlfriends are a bit more supportive," he pulled away and dusted himself off, "But, I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a new outfit, if you're buying," he hopped off the platform and into the sand.

"As you can see, we aren't on Earth… and you don't have money, you've never had money!" she shouted with a playful smile as she locked up the ship and hopped down.

He chuckled and grabbed her hand, "C'mon, let's go!"

…

As they arrived at the bizarre, they were met with four stormtroopers who stopped them as they tried passing, "Halt, identification," he announced through a filtered and modified voice in his helmet.

They didn't stop walking as Ben and Ahsoka muttered to each group of two on either side; something along the lines of, "You've seen nobody, go about your business."

The clones forgot who they were and simply gazed back out at the horizon, minding their own business, "That gets easier every time," he muttered to her.

"Shh," she giggled as he grabbed her hand, walking with their fingers intertwined; there were large tented tarps above them to shade the area where racks upon racks of different size/species clothing were lined up under. They strutted in nonchalantly, Ahsoka keeping her cloak up and covering her montrals, as they browsed through the male selection of clothing; it was here that Ben noticed an outfit hung up on a shelf.

White robes with black trim across the ends, a black silver-studded belt, gloves and dark green cargo pants with matted black boots to match. He rushed over and pulled it off the shelf, "What do you think?" he asked draping it over his torso.

She put a finger on her chin, smiling, "I like it, it looks very appropriate."

"Well you know me, always trying to be as appropriate as I can," he said sarcastically as he moved toward a set of stalls with a curtain drawn. He entered and came out ten minutes later wearing the entire ensemble aside from the belt which he kept his emerald green one tightened around his waist.

"What about the studded belt?" She questioned.

He looked down, gliding his finger across the trim of his belt made from the scraps of his favorite emerald jacked, "It's all I have left of the jacket I came here with, I figure I should keep it."

He looked passed her and noticed a figure in all black, wearing his own robes only with inverted colors, red for green and black for white; he looked just like Ben and stared out to him from the crowd in the background, "Ben?"

"Huh?" He looked to her and then back to the crowd where the figure he'd seen was gone.

"I said, fair enough, twice," she walked with him to the counter and paid for the new clothes; she grabbed his hand and held it once again, wrapping their fingers together.

"Sorry, guess I'm still a bit tired."

They managed their way back to the ship in mostly silence, just enjoying the others company but, as they approached Ben spoke up, "So, the sun shouldn't be going down any time soon, why don't we go check out the coordinates Ante gave us."

She looked toward the ground with hesitation, taking a deep breath, "I'm a bit nervous," she admitted, "I haven't seen Obi-Wan since I left the Jedi Order; I'm not sure what to say to him."

"I don't know much about Jedi Masters and how they process grief but, if all of the fellow order has been… purged, I think he'll just be happy to see a familiar face after almost three years."

She walked up the landing pad and opened up the ship, "I feel guilty, perhaps if it was the three of us against Vader, if I hadn't left when I did I could have prevented my masters death," he let go of her hand in favor of placing his hands on her shoulders, facing her towards him as she pulled her cloak down.

"If we find him, I'm sure he'll understand, from what you've told me holding grudges isn't the Jedi way," he smiled and gave her a hug which she returned tightly.

She pulled back, "Thank you, wow, I wonder how he'll react to meeting you; the force is incredibly strong with you, he's bound to notice."

He passed her walking into the ship as she closed the hatch, "I'm not that impressive, besides, he's a master; I'm probably a fly compared to him."

"Don't underestimate yourself," she sat down in the pilot seat as he checked himself out in the reflection of the bathroom mirror, looking his new outfit up and down.

"Get ready for takeoff, it's a fifteen-minute ride so just relax," she announced back to him whilst he plopped in the bunk with his hands behind his back, he managed to doze off ever so slightly, taking a light nap.

…

"_Why did you leave us, son?"_

_Ben couldn't see anything, or hear anything but, he did manage to hear the voice of his grandfather calling out to him, "Why did you leave?" As he floated through darkness he turned, and a skeleton wrapped in a red Hawaiian shirt collapsed on top of him._

"_AGH!" he shouted as he pushed it off him, backing away until he hit a wall behind him, only it wasn't a wall but a line of his former friends and family; Gwen, Kevin, his Mother, and Father were all bleeding from the eyes, mouth, nose but, didn't seem to be in pain._

_They only stared at him as Gwen spat blood as she spoke, "Where were you?"_

"_I… I'm trying… I just don't know how to get home yet, I-"_

_He backed away from her only to back into Julie, whom had the same absurd amount of blood drenched over her pink sweater and white skirt, "You abandoned me?"_

"_No… No, that not what happened!"_

_They surrounded him on all ends as Kevin spoke up, "You had the chance to find us, to use the dark-side to come home, and you chose her over us."_

"_GET AWAY!"_

…

He was startled awake by the landing of the ship, docking and locking into place on the edge of a cliff, leading down a ridge toward a small dome-like house, with two adjacent shacks, a very small living arrangement; Ben stood and wiped his brow of sweat, grabbing his lightsaber and flipping the white hood of his new robes up, Ahsoka grabbed the device they'd used earlier and looked over the data on the screen.

"There's no mistaking it, that's where the trail ends, I'm afraid if we don't find him here, we may be on a wild goose chase after all," she tightened her fist by her side in anticipation, trying to calm her mind as Ben grabbed a pair of high-powered binoculars that could not only zoom but, scan the area for movement.

"I don't see anything, and I don't feel anything either, you'd think a Jedi Master would be a little easier to feel, right?" Ben asked as he wasn't so sure himself.

She sighed and closed her eyes, taking out the lightsaber she'd bought from the merchant, Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, "I don't feel… anything, no signs of life," she opened her eyes and leapt off the ridge, fifty feet below gracefully flipping through the air and landing without stressing her knees what-so-ever, glancing back up at him.

"I can't do that!" He shouted in frustration as he turned and walked town the ledge horizontally like a normal person, slowly descending on his own time, "I hate when she does that, does she want me to break both my legs?"

She didn't wait very long for him, flipping her own cloak over her montrals and placing her hands together, hiding them within her sleeves; she approached the wooden door attached to the home, not waiting for her significant other, she knocked.

Several minutes went by and Ben finally made his way over, "I'm surprised I don't feel hotter in all of these robes and cloaks," he announced as he walked up to her. She frowned and didn't take her eyes off him, knocking on the door again, "What?" he said in response to her glare.

"Shh," she said.

Ben waited all of another minute or so to announce his boredom, "If he were here, he would have answered by now, don't you think?"

"I suppose you're right," she said as she quickly gripped the handle, taking a look around, she pulled lightly snapping the miniscule iron lock. Swinging the door open, she kept her hand near one of her sabers at all times as Ben followed her example, "Hello? Master Kenobi?" she announced into the darkness.

Suddenly, the light flickered on revealing a man in the far corner of the hut; he sat at a tiny dining table with crates for seats, not saying a word as Ahsoka turned around to notice Ben's hand on the switch, "Sorry," he whispered.

"Hello there! It's quite alright, I was hoping you'd move on without breaking in though," he continued eating a meal, he'd been eating it in the dark for some reason but, he still faced away from them so Ahsoka wasn't sure if she was actually talking to the man she once took orders from, "Take what you like if you must, I won't stop you."

"Master Kenobi… Obi-Wan Kenobi…" Ahsoka announced as she stepped forwards but, he didn't turn around; still facing his meal, he took another spoon full.

"You must be mistaken, there is no one by that name who lives here."

She circled the table, sitting down in front of him, as Ben simply watched, "It's me, Ahsoka Tano, look at me…" she asked kindly as the tone of her voice caught his attention for the first time.

He looked up a bit, his hood falling slightly so that she could see his face; a Caucasian man with bright-blue eyes, and a golden beard that he'd obviously allowed to grow out, she was sure of it now, this was the man she was searching for.

"Ahsoka… you're alive?" he dropped his spoon and stood, tossing back his hood and running a hand through his blonde hair, "I was certain you had been killed when… when…" he choked on his words as he rounded the table and embraced her.

After a short-lived happy reunion, he pulled back, still with a smile across his face, "How did you survive, we sent you with an entire platoon of clones to confront Maul?"

"It's a bit of a long story but, Commander Rex removed his inhibitor that forces the clones to follow orders before to Order 66," she smiled and looked off, thinking obviously of a fond memory, "He saved my life that day."

"And Darth Maul?"

"He escaped…"

Kenobi put a hand to his chin, stroking his beard, "I don't blame you, he's cheated death more times than I can count…" he turned around and was face to face with Ben, looking down on the boy by a few inches, "And who might this be?" he asked motioning toward his old padawan friend.

She took a step back and locked her arm with his, "This is Ben Tennyson, we're… together," she hesitated to choke out, afraid of what her former mentor would think.

He took a seat on a stone-carved bench, "It's alright, Ahsoka, you aren't a Jedi anymore, you can intermingle with whomever you like."

Ben took a step forwards and held his hand out, "I'm Ben Tennyson, I'm her student too," he shook Obi-Wan's hand as he glanced over at Ahsoka.

"You're training a Jedi?" he stood back up quickly, "Do you know how dangerous that is right now?"

"I'm well aware, Master, but just _feel_ his connection to the force… its extraordinary, like nothing I've ever felt before!"

He sighed and looked to his shoes, "I can't do that right now…"

Ahsoka took a step back, standing beside Ben who'd become a glorified spectator at this point, "I couldn't feel your presence on this planet or in this house when I arrived either, there's something you aren't telling me."

Ben interrupted, frankly sick of staying silent, "He's cut himself off from the force entirely."

Kenobi looked away, ashamed of the truth that was expelled out into the open; he had no choice but to own up to it, "Temporarily, yes, I've closed myself out of the force."

"Why would you do that?" Ahsoka asked feeling almost hurt by this new information.

"Darth Vader would sense my presence across the Universe if he had to, he would to whatever he could to find me and I simply cannot let that happen," he sighed and looked Ahsoka in the eyes, "I'm sorry, young one, but I have a mission here, I will do what I must."

"I'm not upset," she finally answered, "I don't know what I expected but, I didn't come here for any of that anyways…" she pulled from her belt a lightsaber hilt.

Obi-Wan caught sight of it and froze, hearing the voices of trauma that echoed through his mind, even without his connection to the force. Flashes of molten lava and the haunting look in his young student's eyes as he was burned alive, pleading with just a look for his master to save him.

"_YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE! You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness!"_

"_I HATE YOU!" that scream, that blood curdling scream, it echoed into his nightmares._

"Master?" Ahsoka shook him from his stupor, as he cleared his throat, he stood up and faced away from the table, passing Ben and peering out the small window.

"Where did you find that?"

She folded her arms and sat back, "Marauders found it on Mustafar, I bought it at a ration-shop near the outer-rim."

"Were you followed?"

Ben turned to face him, "Chill, we've been avoiding the Empire for months."

Ahsoka stood from her seat impatiently, "Master, I need you to tell me what happened during Order 66…"

He was frantic until she asked this, calming himself, he looked around for a moment; "The cry of the force almost winded me, I felt such a tremor in the force I lost my balance," she finished.

He turned and looked her in the eye, "If I tell you what happened that night, what _really_ happened that night, you may lose your balance again."

Ben had already made himself comfortable on a seat made of stone, leaning back and putting is ankle up on his knee; she rolled her eyes with a smile, moving over to sit next to him, an appropriate distance away. Regaining her composure quickly, she focused in on her master as he took a seat next to his meal, stirring the stew with a spoon.

"About a year after you left the order, Anakin began having visions of the future… he was romantically involved with and secretly married to Senator Amidala and these visions predicted her death."

Ahsoka was completely immersed in the story whilst Ben had no idea most of which they were talking about, "I knew there was something going on but, I had no clue they were married."

"I was shocked as well," he said finally as he continued, "It turns out that Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious were one in the same and he spent years planting seeds of deception in Anakin's mind," he dropped the spoon and closed his eyes, still seeing the flashing images of that night appearing in his mind.

"I always did feel something off about that guy, its no wonder he's a Sith Lord."

Ben looked back and forth between them, slowly picking up on the conversation, "So, did Sidious somehow trick Anakin? Allowing Vader to kill him?"

Tears formed in his eyes as he heard her answer, "Oh, Ahsoka…" he looked down at the table and held his forehead, "You've got it all wrong, the Empire spread lies and propaganda after the war, the truth is far more sinister."

"How much worse than that can it possibly be?" Ben announced.

Obi-Wan turned to him for a moment and nearly choked on his next sentence, "The truth is… the truth is I failed him… Sidious successfully turned Anakin to the dark-side; he led the raid on the Jedi Temple, he slaughtered the younglings, the padawans, as well as twelve Separatist politicians…"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, that was impossible, Anakin Skywalker was the purest, nicest, kindest mentor, master, and friend that anyone could ask for; He taught her everything she knew, about being a fighter, commander, and a good person. They spent years fighting along side one another, saving each other's lives, they were incredibly close, and she never once sensed the dark-side with him, "How? How could this be? Y-You're wrong!" she stood up, almost shouting, "I refuse to believe that Anakin could have become that monster!"

Ben was finally putting the pieces together, "So, you two didn't fight Vader on Mustafar, you fought Anakin there and won," he announced.

He eyed Ben from across the room, tapping his foot for a moment as he continued, "I won… but I also lost, I lost so much… I left him and his lightsaber there on purpose. I wanted the force to decide whether he lived or died."

"This can't be true…" she continued to assert, "Anakin would never-"

Obi-Wan interjected almost with frustration, "Anakin is dead, and Darth Vader _did_ kill him; when he turned to the dark-side the kind man we once knew ceased to be," this deterred Ahsoka immensely, "His determination to keep his loved ones alive pushed him down a path for which there is no return."

"I dunno, I've seen plenty of really bad people turn a new leaf, I don't think anyone is really lost forever," he was only giving his opinion but Kenobi thought for a moment, thinking on what he'd said reminded him much of his master Qui-Gon.

"What did you say your name was again?" He asked as they turned their attention to Ben, shifting the mood of the conversation.

"Benjamin Tennyson, I'm not from around here…" he chuckled and sat up, finally being a part of the conversation, "I think I'm from a different galaxy but, jury's still out on that one."

"Well, Benjamin, have you had experience with the dark-side before?" Kenobi asked, waiting for an answer.

Ben looked over at Ahsoka and gave a deep breath, "Actually, I have," he announced shocking her slightly as Obi-Wan took a spoonful of stew and downed it, "I was retrieving my kyber crystal for my lightsaber and… I saw something or, someone actually."

Obi-Wan leaned in, obviously interested, "What did you see?"

Ahsoka watched as the master and her student spoke directly to one another, "I saw myself only, I wasn't myself… I was darker, I had this red lightsaber and he was telling me to do things, convincing me to turn on Ahsoka," he looked at her this time, "But, I chose a different path."

"You lied to me? Why didn't you tell me about this?" She asked with the same frustrated tone she used earlier, "I thought we trusted each other!"

He scoffed, "Of course I trust you! I don't know how to explain it, you told me that the crystal would test me."

Obi-Wan intervened, "Yes, but for such a vivid and specific vision to manifest physically… it means there is also great darkness within you."

Ahsoka was already incredibly infuriated already and confused from the news she'd been delivered but, now her patience was being tested to its limit, "I can't believe you kept this from me, you told me relationships were built on trust, this vision is serious business!"

Ben defended himself, "Look, I've only been doing this for a few months, I don't get how these visions work or how _any_ of this crap works," he stood with anger, "And I can't believe how long I've wasted my time with you."

She was taken aback, there was a pit in her chest suddenly that she'd never felt before, "I'm probably billions of lightyears away from my family, I'm supposed to be protecting them or at least trying to find a way home but, I've been so caught up in the force, and this guy," he motioned to Obi-Wan whom they hunted for the last two months, "And… _you_, I should be risking everything to get back to my loved ones, I can't abandon my family and all this time I've been wasting, who knows whats happened to them."

He looked up from his boots making eye contact with her as she noticed the tears welling in his eyes, he quickly turned to hide them from him as Obi-Wan simply watched and said nothing, "Forget it, I need some air," he walked straight out of the hut, strutting angrily out toward some rock structure less than a quarter mile away.

"Ben! Come back!" she shouted, stomping her foot, "Damn it!" she turned with anger toward Kenobi who sipped at his soup, minding his own business.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

"Pfft," he scoffed, "What advice could I give, I created the most dangerous and cruel Sith Lord in nearly ten generations, as far as teaching goes, I have many years to perfect the craft."

"What if he gets hurt, what if-"

Obi-Wan gestured for her to sit back on the stone-bench, "You like this boy, don't you?"

Her face heated up slightly, a blush forming, "I do, a lot, more than I ever have liked anyone else."

"I can only apologize for the strict rules of the order hindering your experiences but, they were put in place for a reason," he started as he finished off his soup, "Having these types of emotions is normal but, these emotions can breed others…"

He looked out the window and recalled Anakin's jealousy, rage, passion, and his impulsive nature as well; "Do you want to know why I believe Anakin fell to the dark-side?"

She glanced back over at him, "Why?"

"He was the chosen one meant to bring balance to the force but, the Jedi misunderstood what that meant; the only one who truly grasped the prophecy was my late master Qui-Gon Jinn," he looked to the ground, recalling fond memories of his time patrolling different planets with the Jedi Master, "He didn't live long enough to tell anyone but, he understood these feelings are essential to accepting balance."

She stayed quiet as he turned and leaned back against the wall, still sitting on an old crate, "As a teacher you can pass on what you've learned, strength, mastery, focus but, you must also teach weakness, folly, pain, and failure… Yoda once told me that failure was the greatest teacher," he turned and the two made eye contact, blue meeting blue as they stared, "I failed Anakin but, it wasn't for nothing because I used that failure to ensure I would never repeat the mistake again."

"How could you fail if you never even try? You're cooped up in here, eating soup in the dark," Ahsoka responded as she folded her arms.

Obi-Wan stood, walking to the small kitchen area, little food, even less in the way of cooking appliances but, there was a small window looking out into the town; "Am I not trying?" he stared out the window, with a good view of a man and his wife, playing with a two or three year old boy.

"Is… it can't be… is that boy?" she narrowed her eyes, feeling out in the force, sensing the connection the boy had; "Anakin's son?"

Obi-Wan nodded and turned grabbing the lightsaber Ahsoka had come all this way to deliver, he looked it over and sighed, walking over to a cupboard and hiding it away, "Had the Jedi Order taught Anakin to accept loss and pain as they come, had they allowed him to follow the will of the force, I believe things would be entirely different."

"So, what are you trying to tell me?"

He turned to her with a smile, giving a long exhale as he sat back down, "I denied my feelings once before for the sake of the order but, I don't want to see you make the same mistakes. I'm telling you that you were right to leave the Jedi when you did, and that none of it is worth jeopardizing the feelings you have for him."

She looked to her feet, was she too hard on him? It was so quick, and she was still reeling back from the idea that her loving and smart-mouthed master could become the hate filled Jedi-hunting monster she's heard tale about across the Galaxy.

"There was great darkness within Anakin, obviously but, there was also an immense light; I didn't learn this until recently but, Darth Maul was sent to kill Qui-Gon by Sidious because he knew Anakin could be trained as his greatest adversary or his greatest weapon," he closed his eyes and tried not to dwell on it, "Unfortunately, the Jedi were deceived by their own hubris and pushed Anakin right into Palpatine's hands; don't make the same mistake I made."

She nodded and moved for the exit but, stopped in the doorway, "Master, I have to ask… was Anakin the chosen one? Or is it this boy?"

He sighed and glanced out the window, the young boy playing with his aunt and uncle, "That isn't for me to say, I'm afraid. Perhaps it's your student that will finally bring balance to the Galaxy."

She chuckled, "You flatter me, Master but, I'm not even sure if he can bring balance to himself let alone the entire Galaxy."

Obi-Wan smiled without taking his eye off the boy from out the window, "Have you ever considered that perhaps with men like these, those may be one and the same thing?"

She looked off, taking what he said into strong consideration as she nodded, leaving the hut in the direction Ben had fled to; that name was interesting to Obi-Wan, Benjamin… Ben, perhaps he could make use of that name one day.

…

Ben stood a top a thirty-foot pillar of stone, it was massive but, then again, the area was littered with them so, it wasn't as though he was somewhere out of place. He sat staring out at the suns as they set over the horizon slowly, he mediated like he'd been taught, trying to shake the guilt of not trying harder to get home.

The force dialed all of his emotions up to eleven, Ahsoka always said that she didn't have a relationship because the Jedi never let her, and he was starting to understand why that was. He wanted nothing more than to keep his family safe but, he couldn't do that from here. How could he live with himself knowing he's left Earth unprotected?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Ben nearly had a heart-attack, he held his hand on his lightsaber hilt but, was shocked when he faced a humanoid man he recognized, he'd met him once or twice before, "You! You're that time walking guy, you helped us with the Highbreed Invasion! You can take me back home!"

"I could…" he noted as he reached into his lab-coat pocket and pulled a golden pocket-watch, flipping it open and reading the time, "But, I'm not so sure yet about how this timeline is supposed to set out."

"What does that mean?" Ben said dropping his arms in disappointment, "You can teleport and time travel, just zap me back to my family."

The Professor looked back out at the horizon, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Ben looked out once again, stopping his insistence, "Yea, I guess it is…"

"Time is a very tricky thing, young Benjamin, when anything happens, even the most minuet of interactions can snowball into an entirely new Universe of possibilities," as they stared out at the sunset, extra-terrestrial birds cawing in the distance, flying toward the horizon, "This is one of those cases, there's a force I'm sure you're well aware of apparent here and in the adjacent galaxies, a living energy that willed you here."

"The force willed me here?"

Paradox nodded, "I'm just as surprised as you are; your cousin would have been far better suited for this journey," he stared off for nearly a minute before he noticed Ben staring at him, "Of course, no offence intended, however; if it will help your mind rest, they aren't in any danger."

"It might help a little but, will I ever get home?" He asked as Paradox turned around and pulled his pocket watch out again, staring down to observe the time.

He chuckled, "I'm sure you'll find the answer, in time…" he winced and with a flash of white light, he was gone.

Ben sat down again, crossing his legs as he looked out at the twin setting suns again, he realized the beauty of it all, the nature of the force and how amazing it was that his life would be changed forever through one action. If a villain didn't cause this, if his family wasn't threatened, he had no reason to worry, he had never felt a heavier burden be lifted from his shoulders. His family was _safe_.

"Ben!" Ahsoka shouted as she wandered around below the pillar he stood atop, "Ben!" she shouted still searching for him; he took a leap of faith, remembering what his very first lesson was.

"_The will of the force will always guide you toward peace."_

He jumped from the pillar, with a wide smile gleaming across his face, he practically pounced on Ahsoka; landing and pinning her to the ground as gently as he could, "How did you-" she was cut off by his lips interrupting her sentence, she slowly gave into it, letting her tongue melt on his. Her arms were wrapped around his neck before she knew it and they both needed air, so they eventually pulled away but, only a few inches.

"I came out here to apologize and suddenly I'm getting showered with love," she thought for a moment on his entrance, "Literally."

Ben stood and held his hand out for her, she eagerly grabbed it and helped herself up; He would try his best to explain _what_ Paradox was but, it was a bit more confusing to put into words.

"And so, this random magic time traveling man told you that everything was going to be okay? And you believed him?"

He scoffed at her as they approached the ledge where they parked their ship, "I told you, he's never been wrong before, and I trust him with stuff like this; it was the force that wanted me here, for what, I don't know but, its no accident that I ended up in a Galaxy far, far away from my home."

He intertwined his fingers with hers as they ascended the ledge together.

…


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Tatooine**

**Three Days Later**

They migrated to the other side of the world, as far from Obi-Wan's living space as they could get without leaving the planet entirely, which was exactly what they planned to do tomorrow. They set up a temporary camp in the mean-time so that they could train and figure out what they were going to do next, where they would go and how to best to stay under the radar; they thought they'd managed to successfully evade the Empire pretty easily so far but, they still didnt want to stay in one place for too long.

On a solid plateau, overlooking thousands of miles of sand in every direction; Ben and Ahsoka danced under the moon light, traditionally they'd be literally dancing but, in this case their movements were a tad more aggressive. Beams of amethyst and white clashed in the relative darkness, their campfire was a few hundred feet away at this point so their force senses and the lights from their sabers was the only source of sight they had.

He was able to keep pace with her for the most part, using middle-ring defensive positions to diagonally deflect her saber strikes, which were double what his defense had making him even more impressive, "You're improving!" she shouted.

"Thanks!" he leaped over her, flipping in midair and landing behind her in her close quarters to use a horizontal slash which would have cut her in half had she not instinctively backflipped over his swing landing during his recoil, she held the blade out under his neck, he felt no heat but the danger presented itself well. He quickly twirled his hilt, side-striking her saber out of his personal space, spinning through the air for another wide-sweep strike which her second lightsaber stopped.

"Not just skill but, your speed and reflexes too!" While her second saber held him in a deadlock, she swiped down with her first one doubling the pressure on his defense.

He was pushed back but, never lost his smile, "Let's turn it up a notch or two then," he opened his palms, holding the hilt with just two or three fingers as he force pushed her back, skidding back on the rocks but, not losing her balance or momentum.

"If you insist!" she increased her speed and leaped over him, quickly engaging with a mid-air strike he just barely deflected though, as they dueled, he regained his foothold and fought back as best he could.

They never lost their stride as their lightsabers hummed and buzzed around them; Ahsoka had the advantage even though she was clearly holding back but, Ben had come a long way since the beginning of his training thanks to his photographic memory. She swung both sabers horizontally which he deflected with a vertical guard, pushing forwards slightly gave him the opportunity to duck under her second slash, forcing her to spin on her heels as he stood behind her. He swung down with a vertical chop as she crossed her sabers to block his advance, opening her arms to deflect and parry away his saber, tossing it aside as the hilt clattered on the ground deactivated.

"How many times have I taught you a counter to that parry?" She asked, as her sabers retracted, she force pulled his hilt into her hand as she walked over with a coy smile.

"Only three, but I bet you'd complain like it was a thousand," he walked forwards meeting her in the middle, she handed him his saber as he holstered it.

She came in close, putting her hands on his arms, feeling his growing muscles, "I'd watch my tone if I were talking to someone who just kicked my ass," she smiled as he leaned down, their noses touching as he held her waist; she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met in his life, her ran his finger down her cheek slowly, tracing her white tribal birthmarks, as she reached up and held his hand, closing her eyes.

"I wish we could just stay in this moment... forever..." she muttered, digging her head into his chest.

He sighed, "Well, I'd love to but, my schedule is completely packed," he jested.

"Real mature," she chuckled as she pulled away, "Maybe we should do less talking and more packing, the less stuff we have to bring in tomorrow morning, the better."

"So insightful," he chuckled

Her hands folded behind her back as she looked off, almost nervous or embarrassed, "I wanted to say something… thank you for helping me on this journey, to find Obi-Wan, I mean. You didn't have to come all this way for me but, you did anyways so, thank you. This mission meant a lot to me."

"What are you talking about?" he shrugged, "You're the one doing most of the helping, ya know, saving my life all the time. I owe you the thanks."

"It's hard to explain," she started, "But, if it wasn't for you, I don't know how I would have handled the isolation and you helped me feel things that I didn't know I had the capacity to feel," she grabbed his hand, "I know we've only known each other a few months but, I feel like we have a connection," she placed his hand on her chest, over her heart, he felt it beating quickly as her skin warmed up along with her blushing cheeks.

"I feel it too, I don't know what it is but, its like I've known you my whole life…" she pulled him into a hug as he put his chin on her shoulder, still being a few inches taller than her; looking out he saw a figure standing at the edge of the cliff, cloaked in all black. He turned to face them, and it was the same evil doppelganger he fought in the cave on Illum and had been seeing visions of ever since. His bright yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, even brighter than the Moon; _"You're proud of being a murderer? You haven't even thought of finding a way home, have you?"_

He pulled back and shook his head, the vision was gone but he still had an overwhelming feeling of something incredibly dark approaching and a nervous sweat building on his brow.

"Are you okay?" She asked snapping him from his deep thought.

He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers as they headed back towards the camp a short distance away, "I gave you a few days but, I wanted to ask about the visions you had on Illum, are you still having them?"

He contemplated what to say, "No… not at all," he could hear the voice inside of his head, a darker more assertive voice that was ominously identical to his own.

"_Liar!" _the voice shouted within his psyche, softly at first but, over time they'd only gotten louder.

"It's just that you've been a little out of it lately…" she wondered, "Especially these last few days."

He gave a long exhale, "I'm fine, really, never been better…"

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure that _you're_ okay, I know you've told me this life style is a far cry from what you used to have on your home planet," she tightened her hand around his and looked into his eyes as they walked.

"I'm getting used to it pretty quickly," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his free hand, "Besides its not that big of a change, just a bit more… dramatic."

"That's putting it a bit lightly, don't you think?" She was going to put more emphasis on this but, as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt an intense prick in her neck.

"Agh," she yelped letting go of Ben as she stumbled forwards, all six of her senses suddenly getting foggy as a numb sensation spread out across her body; she lazily pulled a dart-like projectile from the base of her spine and looked it over, "What the-" her words slurred as her eyes fluttered uncontrollably, "Ben… run…"

"Ahsoka?" He reached out and caught her by the waist as her body hung limp in his arms, unconscious; lying her down, another dart came from nowhere but, unlike his teacher he wouldn't be caught off guard. He ignited his lightsaber and swung backwards, destroying it midair, "Come out and face me!" he looked out into the darkness as from the darkness in all directions, over a dozen stormtroopers appeared from obstructed view with their rifles pointed at him, closing in as Ben stood over and defended Ahsoka's unconscious form.

Three ships rained bright spotlights down on him, with automatic cannons aimed at his position; the circle of troopers split apart as Ben could hear the ominous respirator approaching, this would be his first in person encounter with Darth Vader and he _wasn't_ ready.

Ben gulped, tightening his grip on his lightsaber, "You must be Darth Vader… or should I call you Anakin Skywalker!"

Vader approached with two guards at his side, walking two or three paces behind him, he heard his true name shouted at him and echoes of the past clouded his judgement for nearly half a minute but, he regained his composure, "That name no longer holds any meaning for me."

"From what I gather, it still means something to some people…" Ben gestured down with his head a bit, pointing to Ahsoka who was unconscious at his feet.

"She is not our target; she will remain a prisoner, until the day comes where student and master duel one final time," he took a few steps forwards as Ben widened his stance in preparation to attack, "However, the Emperor demands your audience, so you shall be escorted to him."

"And if I say no?"

"Then suffer the consequences," he uttered bluntly, tightening his fist and igniting a crimson saber from beneath his cloak with incredibly intimidating malice.

"Something tells me I'll suffer either way," he looked around at the horde of troopers and Sith Lord in front of him, up at the ships before turning and pointing his blade at Darth Vader directly, "Here's the deal, I surrender and she stays here, untouched."

"And if I refuse?"

Ben fake chuckled, "You'll have to kill me to get to her, and something tells me your boss doesn't want that to happen, at least not until he had a chat with me," there was utter silence for a second or two, "How close was that? Warm or cold, I swear I can't read you at all with that mask…"

He sounded the slightest bit frustrated but, he caved considering the orders from his master and the fall out of trying to take him by force, "Your terms are acceptable," he announced as Ben looked down and deactivated his lightsaber, taking one last look as it was force pulled from his grip into Vader's, "Seize him, leave the girl."

"Yes, Lord Vader."

He put his hands up as he was cuffed with wrist length shackles behind his back; they pushed him along as Ahsoka slowly fluttered her eyes open for the las time, "Ben? No…" before slipping back into an almost blissful inebriated unconsciousness.

…

Arriving on the massive station in Darth Vader's personal transport only took less than an hour, a very silent hour; the landing pad opened allowing a platform to lower down, he pushed Ben along as they made their way through the massive hangar. He was memorizing every exit and entrance in the room as well as every corner they turned for nearly twenty minutes to eventually arrive in a small chamber, the doors slid open and Ben was forcibly strapped down to a vertical platform.

Vader approached a glass computer console, typing in keys in a language Ben couldn't read, "So, I must be something special, huh?"

Vader didn't respond and continued typing.

"I mean, for your Emperor to want me alive isn't really his style, right? And from what I heard my force connection is off the charts," as he talked Vader stayed silent but, listened as he stopped typing, "Are you afraid he's planning to replace you with me?"

He turned suddenly, approaching quickly and gripping his throat with the force; "You have no idea the machinations my Emperor has planned."

Ben choked, "Neither… do…y-you!"

…

Meanwhile, Ahsoka awoke with a gasp, she swept her feet across the dirt and ignited both of her lightsabers, swinging into a defensive position as her heart raced and her eyes darted around, "What…" she stopped, keeling over and expelling the contents of her stomach. She limped over to the camp-sight, hitting crates and nearly tripping over her rug before making it to her personal supply kit. She had purchased a serum for just an occasion like this one; paralysis, delirium, and uncontrollable vomiting were all symptoms of a poison used commonly by Imperial Assassins.

She popped the cork of a small glass bottle which could easily be mistaken for a perfume bottle; downing the green liquid, it nearly made her throw up as she gagged but, she quickly stumbled over and passed out instead. Her lightsabers clattering on the ground deactivated.

…

Vader released his grip on the boys wind-pipe and shook his head, returning to the computer console and finishing the codes he was inputting; a large device came down from the ceiling and opened up with a cannon like barrel.

As he caught his breath, Ben chuckled, "Wait, we can still talk this through, right? We were having a fun conversation…"

He didn't respond as he activated the in-depth scanner which did several layers of x-rays, thermal readings, midichlorian count, and many more as it shun a red laser across his entire body but, did absolutely no harm to him physically.

Ben was still shackled by the wrists and ankles as he opened his eyes, almost verbally sighing in relief, unfortunately his relief was short lived as Vader typed a few more commands into the console. He was suddenly jolted with several thousand volts of electricity coursing through him, his chest and arms struggled to break free as he grunted in pain.

"Spoke… too soon…" he muttered to himself as smoke drifted off his clothes and body slowly.

Darth Vader spoke up once more, "Indeed you have, my scanners will calculate readings from your body in many different… _stages_ of stress."

Vader didn't take his cold, unfeeling eyes off Ben as he reached for a nob on the console, turning it up several notches, "AGh!" the electricity surged through his entire body at even more intense levels than before as the scanner dutifully examined his body.

"AGH!"

…

Ahsoka gasped once again, waking up on the floor of her camp, she crawled over to the sand and threw up again, this time she was expelling the last of the poison; her senses slowly returned to her as she wiped her mouth and held her head, she focused on her memories as everything that she saw happen flashed through her psyche.

"Ben!" she stood up, finally having her balance back, she reached down and grabbed her lightsabers; opening up the hatch to her ship, once sitting in the cockpit, she fired up the engine and took a look at the readings on her long-range radar, there was a massive ship just outside of Tatooine's orbit but, she knew it wouldn't be there very long.

She was already wearing her navy-blue sleeveless vest; she tightened her belt and holstered her sabers in their proper place on either side of her hips, she knew exactly what she had to do.

She reached under the dashboard and grabbed a hidden keycard, taking it to a locked cabinet, so well built into the interior of the ship that it was almost hidden completely; Captain Rex gave this to her on the day they parted ways on Mandalor, it was an access key to any imperial fleet. It would only work once considering the codes would obviously be changed the moment they're used and discovered as fake but, this was as good a time as any to use it.

…

Ben was electrocuted again but, he'd lost count of how many times the surge would paralyze his body in agony; "If you simply change your ways and join me alongside the Emperor, this can stop and we can be allies."

"Why… would I ever… do that?"

Vader faced him, "Because the dark-side of the force can grant you unfathomable power; you cling to these moral high grounds when in reality, I sense just as great darkness as I do light."

Darth Vader came in close, holding his hand out close to the boys face; he huffed as sweat dripped down his face and smoke lazily drifted from his robes, "Ptew," he spat on the Dark-Lord's faceplate, his saliva was laced with blood as the internal bleeding was starting to become bothersome.

He raged, pulling out his lightsaber and igniting the crimson plasma blade, holding it up above his head and ready to swing down on the boy to cleave him in two, however; as if he could sense the anger growing within his apprentice from miles away, a hologram appeared behind from Vader's computer.

"**I had hoped you were capable of maintaining your temper, Lord Vader,"** his raspy voice came through the hologram, a figure hidden in shadows and cloaked to hide his face, **"Clearly, I was wrong."**

Vader took one last look at Ben who hesitantly smiled, his wounds making it hard to relish his momentary pseudo victory over the Sith Lord who approached the hologram and bowed his head for a moment, "I apologize, my master."

The hologram could clearly see him in the room as he looked over directly at Ben, **"Does the testing provide any promising results?"**

"His midichlorian count is beyond thirty-thousand, like nothing ever calculated in the archives, and thermal imaging detects some form of energy dwelling deep within him, perhaps the reasoning for his strong connection to the force."

Ben ground his teeth as they spoke about him right in front of him, the Emperor decided quickly, **"Have a squad escort him to my chamber, do not underestimate him, keep his lightsaber personally, Vader."**

"As you command, my master."

…

Three troopers turned a corner, leaving the two adjacent halls empty; opening a ceiling vent, Ahsoka dropped down into the hall gracefully, force pushing the grate back into position as though she was never there.

She closed her eyes after ensuring she'd be alone for the next few minutes, her senses were a bit dulled but, she could still do her best to sense someone she was as familiar with as Ben whom had to be somewhere on this Star Destroyer.

She felt him, he was in great pain but, he was miles away on the other side of the ship and it wouldn't be easy to get there being a wanted former Jedi 'criminal' and all. She sprinted down a hall until she reached a crossroads, peaking around the corner, she noticed two clones mingling and basically shooting the breeze.

She turned the corner and lifted them both off their feet without a word, stripping them of their belts, including communicator, and rifles; "You… You're a wanted criminal!" the clone shouted as she lowered them down, still paralyzing them with her grip.

"I know," she said softly.

She approached and looked the second one up and down, about her height and body weight; she lifted her free hand and waved it across their helmets, "Sleep."

They collapsed to the ground as she had very little time to strip the clone that fit her best down to his underpants and grab his helmet, "I hate these things," she muttered under breath as she tucked her head tails uncomfortably into the suit, latching the helmet to her head and grabbing a rifle, "Here goes nothing."

She sprinted off towards the direction she could sense Ben but, as she tried her best to pinpoint his location, she also felt something else; the darkness aboard the ship stopped her in her tracks, it paralyzed her. She still didn't fully believe that her former master and best friend, the kindest and most honest Jedi in the entire order turned into the immense surge of hate and rage that she felt emanating from Darth Vader. Only that wasn't the worst part, where Ben was heading, she felt an even greater evil, one far more powerful in the force than herself, Vader, Ben, and perhaps even Yoda himself, if he was even still alive.

Shaking her head, she forced her feet to move again, continuing her sprint toward the other end of the ship.

…

Twelve troopers, in lines of six, escorted Ben down the long corridors that led to the Emperor's chamber; it was only a mile or two away so he had plenty of walking time to think, he was in quite a pickle this time. He didn't have his lightsaber and he was surrounded by clones with rifles, he was outnumbered, and he couldn't beat them all by himself. He could sense that what he'd just experienced against Vader was only a taste testing for what this Sith Master had in store for him.

"_I don't know what you're complaining about, of course you could take these guys…"_

"Who said that?" Ben uttered as he looked around.

The head stormtrooper turned to face him, "What?"

"Sorry, nothing," he turned around and continued to walk him down the hall, turning the corner into another long corridor.

"_I'm in your head, I thought you knew that by now."_

"_I thought I was hallucinating,"_ Ben responded in his thoughts, _"Who are you?"_

"_I've answered all of these questions already, I'm everything you could be, and more…"_

"_I won't embrace the dark-side, I won't turn, I already told you that!"_ Ben shouted back with resolve.

"_Look, I'm not some manifestation of the dark-side trying to turn you evil,"_ the voice echoed into his thoughts like an intercom, _"I'm just a less inhibited version of you, someone willing to do what it takes to_ survive._"_

He thought for a moment, _"No, I refuse, you want to murder these men to escape, I can feel it, I won't let that type of darkness into my heart."_

An audible sigh echoed through his mind, this was strange, it was almost as if this different part of him was… sentient?

"_Fine, if you won't do it, I'll just do it for you."_

"_What does that mean?" _Ben's senses were suddenly drowned by darkness as he felt as though he'd passed out completely; outside of his mind, a trooper bumped into him as he stopped walking.

"Move it!" he shouted as Ben looked back up at him with glowing yellow eyes and a rageful scowl; he quickly jumped over his shackled wrists bringing them up to his chest, grabbed the trooper by the torso-plate and headbutted him hard enough to crack his helmet but, not at all hurt his forehead. The troopers started aiming their weapons at him, blasters ready to fire, he sensed the intentions of a trooper behind him turning and tossing the dazed man at them, toppling four of them over.

There were two troopers on either side of him, the others were either recovering or couldn't get a clear shot; Ben jumped straight up, split-kicking both men simultaneously hitting their heads against the walls and dropping to the ground, crouching. Sweeping them off their feet, he turned on a dime and held his shackled wrists in front of his face as a blaster aimed to kill destroyed his restraints.

Eight men remained ready to fire as they recovered and took aim but, suddenly they were all frozen as if some immense weight held them in place tightly; they dropped their weapons and floated three feet off the ground, Ben held his hand out, slowly making a fist.

As he closed his fist and tightened it; eight distinct, sickening, bone scraping, snaps echoed through the halls as they all dropped dead without another word. He lifted the trooper he headbutted off the ground by the neck in the same way, "Where is the landing bay?" he asked with a cold expression.

"Retrace… your steps… three miles north, passed the reactor room!" he shouted, gripping at his throat in agony.

"Thanks," he snapped the man's neck and tossed him aside without a second thought; his eyes flickered yellow as he smiled and continued in the directions he'd been given. He sprinted and turned the corner he'd just passed not too long ago, three troopers were approaching from the far end of the hall as they noticed them they readied their rifles.

Ben didn't hesitate as he continued his sprint without losing stride, they fired off several blasts but he simply deflected them to the side with the force. He held his hand out and met a blast palm first without any damage as he neared them and swatted the air, forcing them up against the wall in odd positions. He grabbed a rifle from the ground and shot the three quickly, killing them as he released his force grip on them.

He noticed a group of troopers approaching from where he'd just escaped from so, he shot a keypad on the wall closing a metallic door between them as he turned around, the waves never stopped.

Two more men turned the corner and saw the carnage, "Hey!" they aimed their rifles and fired off several blasts, one of which clipped his arm, the force barely protecting him as blood tricked down his elbow. He dipped to the side avoiding another blast as he let loose several of his own; he used the cover sprint forwards, dodging and leaping acrobatically through the barrage of lasers.

…

Ahsoka huffed as she approached a turn in the long silver corridor; her voice and breath were modified by the helmet so, it most definitely bugged her to say the least. She had no idea how the clones and troopers managed to fight in these things, her thoughts were interrupted by screaming, as blaster shots were fired, she sped up turning the corner and stopping out of shock.

Two troopers were shooting down a hall as one was shot in the chest from out of view, sending him off his feet and hitting the wall, collapsing dead. The second one screamed for mercy, begging to live as he was lifted off his feet and cervically fractured. He was tossed aside like garbage as the real shock came when Ben turned the corner, him being the aggressor, he force pushed her up against the wall, denting the sheet-metal with her back.

She could feel the pressure against her neck and watched as he smiled up at her, "B-Ben…" the modified voice didn't stir him so she slowly reached up as best she could to remove her helmet. It clattered on the ground, rolling a few feet away, he saw her face and dropped her.

"Oh, it's just you," he said nonchalantly as he turned to face the hall, she fell to her knees and held her neck, coughing loudly as spit splattered on the floors.

"Just… me…?" she repeated, huffing as she slowly stood.

He started running again, without her, towards the hangar where the now deceased clone told him to go; he was nearing the reactor soon, so there was no time to waste.

She growled and stood up, running after him, taking only a few minutes to catch up to him, "Wow, you nearly broke my neck after I came here to save you and I don't even get a 'thank you' from you?"

"What good what that do anyone?" Ben answered as they turned a corner, immediately met with two stormtroopers that aimed their weapons at them.

"What has gotten into you?!" she almost shouted as he pushed both men back a few feet, keeping their weapons mid-air and aiming them against the troopers.

He chuckled, "Hate to break it to you but, Ben can't hear you right now, it's a little complicated but, whatever you think of him…?" he open fired, telekinetically pulling the trigger and murdering the clones with their own blasters, "It isn't me."

She looked into his bright yellow eyes with concern, grabbing his hand as he dropped the blasters, "I don't understand…"

"Neither do I but, I'm just as much Ben as he is me; I'm what he's terrified of becoming!" he laughed hysterically, turning to face the hall again, starting a fast walk toward the reactor.

She narrowed her eyes and followed swiftly, still not at a hundred percent from the paralysis dart she'd been hit with, she couldn't refuse his help or address this now. They needed to make it off this ship first.

…

They approached the landing bay and fired a blaster shot into the keypad forcing it to open for them, what they didn't expect was over a dozen troopers aiming their weapons directly at them, "Open fi-" the commander was interrupted when both Ahsoka and Ben force pushed them all several dozen feet back, off their feet and onto their backs.

They ran towards Ahsoka's docked ship, still hundreds of feet away, and with many troopers between them; Ben twirled through the air dodging blaster fire as he got in close-quarters with them. He grabbed the rifle of one trooper and broke the glass of the helmet of another trooper with his other fist, blinding him as he gripped the blaster he kicked the trooper away and with one foot he sent him into another ship, denting the hull of the ship, and forcing the entire TI-Fighter to topple on its side.

Ahsoka was astonished as one trooper her grabbed her shoulder but, was swiftly flipped over her head and a boot placed firmly on his shoulder as she broke his arm and left him in agony.

As they surrounded the ship, they force pushed three or four of the soldiers back so that Ben could board, "I'll get the engine started," he announced as he flipped switches and turned nobes.

"So brave, thanks," she narrowed her eyes as she tore the stormtrooper armor off, piece by piece, tossing the blaster aside, she gripped her hilts and ignited her white sabers, using her signature reverse grip style in form-five stance.

The doors slid open and two dozen clones marched in with Darth Vader in tow; they cleared a path for him as some took positions from several vantage points.

"Fire at will," Vader ordered as a clone came from behind him with a rocket-launcher within mere seconds, it fired, and the projectile contacted her ship, causing a massive explosion. She didn't even see it coming, she should have been able to stop it, "BEN!"

Scarp metal and flaming debris cascaded down around her as she dropped her guard and deactivated her sabers, he was dead, there was no point anymore. She was surrounded and alone, she couldn't escape under these conditions, not with the emotional turmoil she was experiencing.

"You… monster…" she muttered as tears formed in her eyes; before she could continue, her attention was brought back to the wreckage as a massive bulk of red-hot steel floated up off the ground.

A bright blue glow emanating from within the fires was visible, like a figure shrouded in gleaming energy; a strong wave of pressure flew out omnidirectionally, putting out the fires and dissipating the smoke. On the ground was a being made of pure energy, he looked up as his facial expression was just as shocked as Ahsoka's and likely even the masked enemies. His head was ignited with blue flames, his skin was layered with blue energy, he recognized this power from his cousin and grandmother. How could this be possible, he didn't have the spark, he couldn't have transformed like this, could he?

He slowly stood, looking at his hands as his skin slowly reformed as if only his mortal shell had been vaporized by the explosion; his first instinct was to reach out at Vader, whom protested by attempting to over power his grip but, Ben force pulled his personal lightsaber from Vader's belt and into his hand.

Ahsoka was in complete awe but, the first and most relieving thing she noticed was his eyes were bright green again, just the way she liked them; he stepped slowly out of the wreckage as his robes were completely torn apart, _somehow_ pants manifested to keep himself partially clothed. The massive chunks of metal he was lifting dropped to the ground with a loud bang from hundreds of tons hitting the ground.

Darth Vader was fuming, his anger boiled as he ignited his crimson saber, "Fire, again!" his subordinate followed orders, firing another projectile but, this time Ben held his hand out confidently as the explosion connected with his hand and engulfed him in flames. But he walked through them and the smoke completely unharmed, his skin wasn't even scuffed.

He looked down at his hand as he noticed how fluid his connection to the force was right now, it was unbelievable; Ahsoka sprinted over as the clones and Vader advanced from the entrance to confront them.

"Ben! What the hell was that? Are you okay?"

He took a breath, and held the hilt of his saber up, "I don't really know, I blacked out when I was on my way to see the Emperor I…" he shook his head as a blaster bolt hit the wall behind them, startling them both, "Talk later, you need to try and get another one of these ships working so we can get the hell out of here!"

"No, you should do that, you can't fight _him_!"

He looked her in the eyes and gave her one of his signature smiles, "I can tell you're still fighting off whatever they shot you with in the desert; let me hold him off, do you trust me?"

She looked back at the slowly approaching dark-lord, walking slowly like an ominous serial killer, "Don't let her escape!" he announced as they prepared rocket-launchers for whichever ship she chose.

"I do."

"Then go!"

She sprinted off towards the hanger while Ben reached out with the force, lifting the larger weaponry from the clone's hands, crushing it with one hand and tossing them aside, no more destroying ships.

Ben ignited his amethyst saber which only slightly surprised Vader, "You dare to challenge me?"

Ben widened his stance and held his lightsaber next to his face, pointed up, "I'm learning all kinds of new things about myself today!"

Vader closed the distance and swung down on Ben with one hand, barely being defended with a horizontal guard; his swings were heavy with cybernetically enhanced strength, as he recoiled and swung down again, pushing Ben back. He retaliated by attempting a horizontal sideswipe, with the crimson blade countered with a vertical parry position, deadlocking their sabers. Vader effortlessly pushed forwards, the sparking plasma blades closing in on his face.

"Give in to the dark side and I will once again spare your friend!"

Ben responded by lifting his leg and font kicked the mechanical monstrosity in the chest, sending him back on his booted heels; he twirled his purple saber with his free hand out prepared to engage again, "I told you, I love her… more than I fear you!"

"You should have feared me _more_," He closed the distance between them quickly swiping downward with one hand as Ben dipped to the side barely avoiding it; he returned with a horizontal slash, deflected and parried away only this time Ben countered by turning and sideswiping his legs which missed as he backed away a step or two.

Darth Vader was impressed by his speed and ferocity but, not enough to spare his life and the life of Ahsoka Tano unless he agreed to his terms.

…

Ahsoka sprinted through the rows of ships before finding one she recognized and knew she could fly; it was a bit bigger than her last ship and likely more expensive too, almost a silver lining to the horrible events she'd just witnessed.

"Stop her!" one of the troopers shouted as blaster bolts hit the side of the ship whilst she broke in and entered the cock-pit; starting up the engine and unlatching the parking unit with the code Rex had left her; she closed the doors and activated the shields for the ship, being far more advanced than the one they'd just destroyed, it also came with weaponry.

She activated a joystick like apparatus which controlled two mounted cannons, the clones ceased fire and backed away as they saw the shields drop and the cannon turning towards them.

She smiled as they turned and shouted, "Run!"

…

Ben was kicked in the stomach as he backed away, barely dipping his head back which avoided a crimson decapitation, he used the recoil time to swing his glowing purple saber up, deflecting Vader's next swing but, fell victim to a force push that sent him off his feet, tumbling on the ground ten or so feet away.

Explosions went off behind them as Ahsoka fired cannons at the other ships, and the ground forces that approached her; she started fatally damaging any ship she could to avoid being followed.

"Join me now, I can return you home!" Vader held his hand out.

Ben took a step forward, "You… you know about that? You can send me home?"

"The dark-side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some would consider… unnatural," he repeated his master's seducing statement that first drew him to the darkness years ago.

Ahsoka took off, lifting into the air and deactivating the shielding that blocked the landing bay, she turned and could see the struggle between Ben and Vader had ended and it looked as though the Sith Lord was offering him something,

Ben's eyes flashed bright yellow as he reached out, taking Darth Vader's gloved hand, "With my resources and our power combined you will able to return home; so long as you give in to the dark-side."

He looked away, smiling as his eyes flashed an even more sinister yellow, "Maybe Ben would be dumb enough to take this offer, but I'm not so gullible," he reached out and secured the handshake by grabbing Vader's elbow.

Without warning, Ben unleashed a powerful surge of force-lightning through Vader's entire body and being mostly mechanical, he was very susceptible to attacks like these. He shouted in agony through his mask as clones approached from all sides, aiming their rifles at him.

He turned without stopping the electrocution and took his hand from Vader's elbow; picking up all of the clones and cracking their necks with a clutch of his fist, "Oh, I embraced the dark-side alright! Is this what you wanted?!" He shouted in Vader's masked face as the dark lord forced himself up, slowly overpowering the shock.

Ben narrowed his eyes and force pushed him with all his strength; sending him hundreds of feet through the air, pinning him against the wall as his cape and armor smoked.

Two clones approached from behind but, as Ben turned around, he didn't even flinch as he swiped his saber through them before they could even react; a purple flash splattered blood across his face and bare chest but, his smile didn't waver.

They were the last of the clones and Darth Vader slowly recovered so Ahsoka didn't hesitate to open the landing bay to the larger ship, allowing him to deactivate his saber and flip through the air, landing on the ship with her. The hull closed and they didn't hesitate to jump into hyperspace the instant they were clear of the ship itself, they hopped into a lane and traveled steadily.

Vader recovered and shook his head, "Sir, are you okay?" troopers filed in as dozens more came to his aid.

"I'm fine, tell the Emperor-"

The trooper interrupted him, "Actually, he sent me to inform you that he already knows you failed. He wants to speak to you personally, sir."

Normally, this type of attitude would have gotten him killed but, the recent battle and the orders coming directly from his master tamed his anger, "I see," he said that and nothing else, walking away as the clones cleaned up the mess they'd made.

…

Ben took a few steps back as Ahsoka was still in the pilots seat, finding the most obscure hyperspace lane she could think of heading as far from Tatooine as possible; she was startled when Ben dropped his saber hilt, clattering on the ground in front of him.

She set the auto-pilot up for the time being and stood up out of her seat, "Ben? Is that… you?"

He didn't answer at first, he stared down at his hands, covered in smeared blood; he blinked slowly, almost in a haze, just looking his hands over, "I…I don't remember things…"

She took a step or two closer and found a nearby rag of some kind, she took his hand and wiped them clean; "I don't understand much of what just happened either…"

"I blacked out and I did horrible things, it was like I was a back-seat driver," he muttered, she thought he would cry but, his voice didn't crack once; he was just absent, in deep shock.

She finished wiping his hands and grabbed his lightsaber hilt from the ground, cleaning it off from the blood and placing it on the dashboard, "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this but, I was trying to tell you before all of this that this new violent lifestyle, it can take a toll on you," she placed the rag on his chest and wiped away a few droplets of blood, revealing the scar he'd gotten across his chest while saving her life, "Not just a physical one either, it can change who you are fundamentally, and with your connection to the force, I think you're fighting to stay a good person."

She looked up into his eyes, the yellow pigment in his iris was gone, the beautiful emerald she'd grown accustomed to had returned but, he was still a bit distant, "Ben, I heard what you said to Vader and I want you to know that I…" she hesitated which caught his attention, "I love you too."

She bit her lip and caught him in her embrace, not caring about getting her vest covered in blood, she tightened her hands around his back and held him closely, "And I can tell you now that I won't fail you, I wont let you fall to the dark-side, I am going to protect the good person that I _love_."

He pulled back a bit, "I thought at first it was just a force vision but, I know now that the darkness inside of me is _real_, and it can take over... the energy form you saw, it was what I told you my grandmother was, an alien race made of pure energy," Ben responded looking down at his hands once again, almost unable to unsee the blood of the people he slaughtered.

"You being part of that energy entity must be why your dark-side is manifesting so powerfully! We can learn to control it, I can help you, I just said I was going to protect the good person that I know you are and I meant it," she gave him a wide smile before giggling, "How many times do I have to say 'I love you' before I hear it back, dork."

He smiled, she had only known him for so long and she already knew how to make him laugh, he chuckled and reciprocated, wrapping his thicker arms around her waist; he pulled her in so that their lips met in the middle quickly, "Thank you, Ahsoka, I love you so much."

…

A/N:

Reviewing motivates the hell out of me so, in the words of the senate, DEW IT.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars

**6 Months Later**

**Ajan Kloss**

The jungle covered planet was lush and beautiful in many ways, teeming with life and brimming with a connection to the force; one of the most blessed planets to be so far off the grid that even the Empire hadn't gotten to it yet.

Above a riverbank there was a large waterfall leading to glistening babbling brooks, every stone was smoothed by the millennia of erosion, which was fortunate for a certain red-head as her portal opened up in the shape of a pink-glowing triangle, dropping her into the water. She screamed as she collapsed into the river, quickly swimming to the surface and rushing over to land.

Her bright-red school uniform was now soaked, along with her pan-suited skirt, and leggings… and shoes; she ringed her hair and looked up at the portal, gone. Great, just great.

She tried summoning her book of spells from the pack slung over her shoulder but, nothing happened; "Uh-oh," she said to herself as she reached into her bag and grabbed it manually.

"Vio Residentia!" she read from her book, normally her pink mana energy would surround her and whisk her away via teleportation but, she felt like something was stifling her connection to Ledger Domain, a dimension she'd learned about in the last year where the source of her magic emanates. Nothing happened, not even the simplest spells would activate, not even a spark of mana; she closed her spell book frustratedly.

Taking a look around at the abandoned area and her limited supplies, she just sighed in defeat, "I guess this must be how Ben felt, I just hope I can track him down without powers… he must be a mess, if he's even alive," she found a stone block, dusting it off before sitting and reaching into her bag, pulling out a green metallic wrist-watch, "He has to be."

…

**Approximately 10 Miles Away**

**Two Weeks Later**

They were both fortunate to have stayed under the Empire's radar for as long as they had, this planet was deeply hidden within the outer-rim of the Galaxy; with gravitational wells and radiation bursts surrounding the space leading to it, it was almost completely uncharted. With the new larger Imperial Class Sentinel Shuttle, which they had stolen from Vader's Star Destroyer, they set up a new more permanent camp after ditching the tracking systems several thousand parsecs away. Other than just hiding from the Empire in the safest place she could think of for six months, Ahsoka used this time to really turn Ben's training up a notch or two.

What she saw him do against Darth Vader was amazing, if not a little frightening, but if she could forge that raw skill and talent into something more refined, he might just survive… even _without_ her. That wasn't something she wanted to think about, there was nobody else around that would help him anyways, she had nothing to worry about. Why would she worry anyways? She was strong, independent, and a skilled warrior; she didn't need Ben as much as she knew he needed her but, maybe that wasn't it? Maybe it was just a daunting thought that she was just useful, and just like the Jedi Order, the moment it becomes less convenient to have her around, she'd be discarded.

She stared up at the blueish-green skies with a glimmering sun, feeling how the force harmoniously flowed across the planet allowed her to meditate, floating several feet off the ground with her legs crossed. In deep thought, she reminded herself that she loved more than just the person Ben was, she loved how strong he thought she was, how it was never off-putting that a woman her height could probably take down two dozen men twice her size, without a lightsaber, and the way he always called her beautiful was like a fairytale. She loved how after everything that happens, he could still make her laugh, and that smile of his… that damn smile. It was only after she left the order that she had come to terms with the social isolation she was put through by the Jedi, who inducted her as a non-consenting child, to live by a code that denied her these natural feelings.

She was startled by something moving through the trees behind her, she was slightly relieved it was only a shirtless Ben returning to the camp with a long wooden stick over his shoulder holding two baskets filled with dozens of dead birds. His torso had only become leaner over time, sporting more defined muscles around his pecks, abs, and triceps; he hadn't been shaving so, he managed to grow a decent soul-patch under his lip and the remnants of a beard. This ships technology was made for cruising solider battalions, not a love-struck couple on the run from the government but, they still had the same advanced washing and drying apparatus along with one that constructed new robes for him, it was highly limited and they had collected the fabrics themselves over time but, it was still far cooler than buying them, at least in his opinion.

"Finally, I'm starving," she announced as she unfolded her legs and landed gracefully, making her way back into the tented area they had set up around the ship, much smaller than the one they had on Yavin considering how much bigger their ship was. As she stepped inside, they'd all but stripped down the command centers seating area, leaving only pilot and co-pilot seats. There were four bunks but, they'd retrofitted two of them together through long days of welding and drilling to create a much larger bunk with two mattresses together to make one. Leaving two empty bunks unoccupied, one was stripped of its mattress and used as a shelf considering they'd turned the rest of the ship into their makeshift flying house. There was a massive bathroom, obviously built for up to six people at once, as the main purpose for the ship was long term solider transport.

Where there was once a command center for radar, weaponry, and other sensory equipment was now seatless and laid out with blankets over the floor, several small candles set up within it, flowers strewn about in different varying shades of green, which she knew was his favorite color.

"What's all this?" he chuckled as he set down the baskets and grabbed his robes, swinging them over his shoulders lazily; she dashed across the room and played with the communication device.

"Don't think I've forgotten!" She announced as she tuned the signals correctly, catching a nearby planets radio-waves, playing music over their intercom.

He chuckled as he tightened his belt around his waist, "You'll have to remind me because, even I'm a little lost," the music was odd and not anything he'd ever heard before but, that really didn't matter much to him, she turned it down and walked over, zipping her vest all the way down but, not taking it off.

"You said that on Earth you regularly celebrate the day of your birth with food and music, and you also said that you performed that ritual-"

"Remember what I said about calling holidays, rituals…"

She scoffed, "Right, right, you held that _holiday_ just a week before we met on Jakku; an annual celebration, you said," she poured two glasses of a dusty bottle which had some form of liquid in it. He didn't know quite how old it was or what exactly was in it but, he knew it would inebriate him and that's all he could ask for at this point, almost completely used to this new lifestyle.

"Wow, that means its been a whole year since we met," he swished the liquid in his drink around, staring at his reflection as it rippled, "A whole year since I've seen my family… Gwen's probably got an early admission to college by now," he chuckled as she softened her expression, "And Kevin might've opened that garage he always talked about…"

Ahsoka grabbed his drink and set it down on the dashboard, "Hey, babe, let's not think about that now…"

He groaned, shaking his head, "How could I not? Every informant we meet, every planet we've been to, I get the same answer every single time," he looked back up at her, clearing his throat, "But, that's all in the past and this is _really_ sweet of you to put together, or even remember!"

She put her glass down and chuckled, "Forget? How could I forget meeting the love of my life?"

"You never remember the saber-safe lock combination, I have to remind you _every_ time…"

She giggled and leaned up wrapping her arms around his neck, so that their whispers were all they needed, "See? That's how important you are to me…" their lips met, passionately as he slowly escalated things, he pushed her up against the wall but, this only caused her to moan. Moving his kisses down her neck, he wanted to go further but, always stopped himself; as surprising as it was, he'd never gotten passed second base before, and while her chest was amazing, his body always kept its composure, his first time was supposed to be special and it wasn't like she was rushing to escalate things.

He trailed his lips back upwards, kissing the tip of her right-montral as she giggled uncontrollably, "Stop it!" she screamed with a high-pitched squeal, "You know I get… what did you call it?"

"Ticklish, I'm not surprised that word doesn't translate well…"

She adjusted her vest and grabbed the glasses from the dashboard, "Well, happy birthday, to turning seventeen?" she poised raising her glass, not totally sure if that was the right thing to say.

He chuckled, "Yea, I guess so," they toasted by tapping their drinks together before downing it; shaking his head, he chuckled, "Not as strong as I thought."

"You're telling me, I wish we had more!" she announced as she moved back towards the exit, they both filed out into the tented area where Ahsoka had taught Ben how to make the exhaust port in the ceiling of the tent, the brick-work for the pit, and the separation from the rug all to cook within the tent without starting a fire.

"Nobody wants to see you wasted again, you always over drink if you can…" he noted grabbing the baskets of meat and approaching the fire-pit, "I'm gonna cook up the meat I caught and then we can feast like royalty," he looked down at the pit, reaching his fingers out, he closed his eyes as Ahsoka watched from behind. She had told him a thousand times not to use his rare ability for something so simple but, he never listened; a small crackle of force-lightning quickly struck the pit igniting the fire.

He took a step back, looking back at her, his eyes glowing completely yellow, "Oh, you're back, hi…" she frowned, turning her head and sitting on a stone across the fire.

"Don't give me that attitude, you guys get to live it up out here, enjoying stuff like food and sex and-"

She sucked her teeth at him, blushing profusely, "He and I have never had… why do you even come out at all? You just say rude things to me for fifteen minutes and then disappear again," she looked up at him as the fire danced across his yellow iris.

"Sometimes, the feeling of oxygen going into my lungs feels nice, and the textures," he reached out and touched the rug, running his hand up and down, "I wouldn't expect you to understand, to you all I'm just the murderer you spend half a year trying to exorcise."

"We never tried that, we tried making it so that you couldn't control Ben, big difference, pal."

He looked over at her, turning his positions, "I can see why he loves you so much, you're gorgeous, I told you he and I are more alike than you care to admit," she stared at him for a second, looking into his eyes.

It only lasted five minutes but, his pupils flooded with emerald as Ben retook control and blinked several times; glancing around, "I did it again, didn't I?"

She smiled slightly, turning back to the fire, "It's okay, he was actually pretty nice this time."

"Think he's warming up to us?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

…

Meanwhile, an arrow pierced the skull of a large badger-like creature, skewering it against the tree it was crawling across; on the river-side was a make-shift tent built from wooden bark and thick layers of leaves.

"I knew it was all about the angular momentum, simple physics," Gwen announced, she'd stripped out of her uniform and laid it against a rock facing the sun, wearing only her torn white button up shirt, completely unbuttoned, and her underwear. She lowered the bow she'd crafted and dropped it to the ground, running over to skin her dinner. She was going to try her best to stick to her vegetarian diet but, it definitely didn't stick after the first twelve hours of starvation.

"Sorry, little guy," she pulled the arrow from the creature's head like she'd done many times before, "But, I've been eating fish all week and I think you might provide a bit of protein."

She skinned and skewered it over a fire to cook, she only learned this through trial and error but, she was determined; Gwen turned and moved back to her tiny tent, sipping what little fresh water she could catch from rain.

She double tapped her Plumber's badge and took out her sketch book, connecting dots between other dots, adding new dots; she was trying her best to map the constellations and at least find a way home for herself. The Omnitrix wouldn't activate for her, and even if it did, she had no idea how to use it either way, so her only hope was to eventually map the stars and find one close enough to get her home. She was taking advanced astrology in school already so, it wasn't the most difficult task in the world but, she was only ever frustrating herself as she could find no connections to her home Galaxy.

"Ah!" she screamed, crumbling up the sheet and tossing it into the river, "It's completely hopeless; I'm gonna die out here…"

She took a moment to think, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly, she meditated on her thoughts and looked deep within herself; while she couldn't feel her regular connection to her mana energy, she _could_ feel something else entirely. It was, within her mind, an orb of light or half an orb, as the other half was shrouded in darkness. In her minds eye she reached out, touching the light, and it was euphoric at first but, as though her training in the mystic arts had prepared her for it, the darkness called her name.

"_Gwendolyn!"_

Her eyes snapped open and she was running a cold sweat, "Who said that?" nothing was out of place, it had only been a minute or two but, she knew she heard it. She closed her eyes once again, trying to mimic that trance state, it only took a minute of even breathing to feel that energy surrounding her.

"_You want to go home, don't you?" _It was her voice, only it wasn't. It was something else and it was in her head, preying on her deepest darkest desires. What she didn't realize was she'd made her first contact with the force, and without a guide, she was in dangerous territory. Ben was fortunate enough to have Ahsoka while, it doesn't seem Gwen had any sort of direction but, what the force will guide her towards.

She stood up with her eyes closed, stepping out of her tent on instinct and opening her eyes; she faced herself, in the same clothing or rather lack thereof, only the whites of her eyes were blacked out and her pupils were glowing yellow.

"Who are you?"

"_I'm what you were always meant to be."_

"There must have been some sort of psycho-active chemical in that water, maybe someone dosed me… or…" she held her head turning around but, the vision just appeared in front of her again, startling her as she stepped back.

"_You haven't been drugged, Gwendolyn, you've tapped into something else, finally…" _the force-ghost flipped her red-hair over her shoulder with attitude.

"What… is this?"

"_Did you really think you can survive here by shooting rabbits and drinking rainwater?"_

She rubbed her elbow, "Not forever, just until I find a way out-"

"_Out of where? For all you know this entire planet is a forest,"_ the vision of herself walked over and stared at the cooking animal and the dancing flames, _"You can feel this power… you need to use it."_

"I already have powers… or I used to," she responded looking away nervously, "I don't know, hallucinations are bad enough but, tampering with powers that I don't understand?"

"_That has always been our problem Gwenny; you over analyze things, you inhibit yourself with all of those prude clothes, you spend every minute of the day with your nose in one book or another,"_ Gwen approached the fire, looking down at it as she stood next to her vision, _"Now, do you want to find Ben and go home, or do you want to waste more time tracking the distance between stars?"_

Gwen looked down to the fire, narrowing her eyes, she felt the heat radiating closer to her face, "I'm in… what do I do first?"

"_You had the right idea, meditating and all, but you cant just feel that energy that exists; you have to force it to bend to your will," _the vision stood back and Gwen held her hand out, facing the fire.

She closed her eyes and did as she instructed herself, her own mind and the will of the force creating a path for her, _"Feel that anger, the hate, the rage that comes with being stranded and frustrated!"_

Still, nothing happened as she opened her eyes and looked back at the vision, "Nothing is happening, I don't know how this works."

The vision came from behind, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her closer to the fire, _"Around here, power comes from pain, from a need not a desire, you just need to create that need,"_ she forced Gwen's arm out against her will.

"What's going on?"

"_Trust me, this is going to be fun,"_ her vision watched as Gwen put her own hand in the fire, it turned red hot before burning severely.

She screamed as her eyes snapped open, tears running down her eyes as they flashed black with yellow iris' just like her visions, "Embrace it! Let the pain guide you! It will give you power!"

Gwen finally broke the grip of her vision, stumbling back and collapsing onto her knees; her arm was charred, and her fingers were bleeding from the third-degree burns.

"You scarred me! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

The vision giggled, looking into her own eyes, _"Look around you…"_

She did and almost immediately noticed that a half-dozen boulders around her were floating ten feet off the ground; when she noticed it, they didn't drop but, the voice echoed again, _"What's wrong with _me_? You're the only one out here…"_

She turned her head a hundred and eighty degrees, several times, looking around as the vision of herself was completely gone. She ran to the waterfall and dipped her hand in the river to cool the burning sensation, as she looked into the water, she noticed her reflection and her eyes glowing bright yellow with completely black trim.

She gasped as the boulders fell around her, shaking part of the forest, with a thundering boom; her eyes returned to normal but, her heartbeat never slowed. She was terrified of what just happened, was she hypnotized? Or was it just a hallucinogenic pollen she might have inhaled? Whatever it was, it _did_ manage to give her some power… but, from the looks of it her arm would never heal properly.

…

Ben turned toward the forest, feeling the quake in the ground, he narrowed his eyes out into the slowly darkening trees; he searched with his feelings, suddenly there was something there, something that hadn't been there just a few hours ago.

"It was probably just an earthquake, I was thinking we could open the transport hatch so we can lay in the bunk and look up at… the… stars?" she watched as mid-sentence, he stood up and walked over to the edge of the trees, placing his hand on a trunk and focusing out in the direction of the shaking.

"Do you feel that?" he looked back at her, confused as to why she wasn't reacting.

She closed her eyes and put her fried birdwing down on her plate, "I… don't feel a thing," opening her eyes, she put the plate aside and stood up, "Is everything okay?"

Ben turned and walked passed her, grabbing his belt from where he was sitting, as he entered the ship he tightened it and approached an advanced cabinet with a key-code combination that he inputted, "I'll go with you," she insisted as she reached into the safe as well but, he grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"Actually, I have this weird feeling, that I need to do this alone," he looked into her eyes with incredible determination, and through their deep connection she knew that this was part of his journey, one way or another. She gave him a nod as he pulled his lightsaber out and strapped it on his belt; flipping up the hood of his cloak as he walked out.

"Just be careful, Ben," Ahsoka said one final time, kissing his cheek, as he gave her his trademark smile.

"How could I not come back with you waiting here for me?" he chuckled as he made his way into the darkness, of course, he could _see_ everything around him without a problem.

…

Gwen did her best to treat her wound but, all she could think about was how dumb she was for getting herself in this mess in the first place; she hated herself more than ever now, this planet was playing tricks with her mind and her emotions, she could feel it. She stood from the riverside as the burning sensation occupied her every thought but, strangely it only fueled her and forced the rest of her body to push through.

"I hate this planet," she muttered, "I hate this stupid planet!" shouting this time, she turned around and grabbed her red school uniform, tearing it apart and wrapping it around her arm, "None of my magic works, none of my tech is helping, and I can barely keep myself from going insane!" she screamed through the pain, generally complaining about her situation.

She put her leggings on and tied her hair up into a pony-tail but, left her shirt unbuttoned; this took her almost half an hour as every cell in her hand burned with incredible pain, any movement gave her jolts of surging agony.

After finally dressing herself, she didn't have time for her thoughts to settle as a red laser tracked the ground in front of her before obviously vanishing behind her back, which she noticed. Quickly jumping over the fire, she avoided a sniper blast, hitting and destroying her small pit; she grabbed the bow and a few arrows as another blast hit the water behind her, sending an explosion of water raining down around her. She quickly took cover behind one of the larger boulders that she'd miraculously lifted earlier.

Two men came out of the jungle, they hadn't spotted her just yet but, neither of them was holding a long ranged weapon, only pistols so she quickly devised there were at least three enemies.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" One of the two bipedal reptilian-like creatures held a pistol out and waved it around. The other was facing away from her, looking back to see if she'd hidden in the bushes.

She waited for the loudmouth to turn around before taking aim and sighing to herself, "It's all about physics…" she loosed the draw-string sending the arrow two-hundred miles an hour through the back of the assailants head. It wasn't even three seconds before the rock she used for cover was under fire, blasters took chunks out of the stone so she didn't want to find out what it would do to her.

She reached out and grabbed another arrow, pulling it back on the drawstring but, she was surprised by the first bandit turning the corner before she was prepared.

"Don't worry, my blaster is on stun, you'll only be in incredible pain for a second or two," he aimed and fired without hesitation but, her bow intercepted it also shattering the wooden weapon. The smoke and debris from the destroyed bow flew into his eyes which Gwen took as a good opportunity to jump him; he had stepped behind her cover, which meant the sniper couldn't see her stand and tackle his comrade.

She straddled his chest and screamed with all her might, "ARGH!" plunging the end of the arrow she forged from a sharpened stone through his left eye, likely into his brain. He was still alive, reaching out in pain but all she could see was red, grabbing a nearby stone the size of a football, Gwen repeatedly bashed his head in nearly twelve times until she was sure he was dead. She huffed loudly, almost grunting, blood splattered all over her face, she took a deep breath and stood, putting her back against the rock that was still her cover from the sniper, the only one left to deal with.

Gwen was formulating a plan internally when something strange happened, she heard a shout and a loud buzzing, a tree was chopped down as it toppled into the river. She couldn't see what was going on but, a purple-blur flew through the forest, striking down multiple enemies. She would never have survived considering she thought there was only a single sniper involved.

The purple blur vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, she stepped out slowly, ankle deep in cold river water and covered in crimson blood; a hooded figure stood a top the thick tree that had fallen. Balancing on the trunk didn't seem difficult and he hadn't noticed her yet, so she quickly ran towards her bag, clutching it close to her as she turned around to sprint for her life into the woods and away from the conflict.

She was so shocked that she nearly had a heart attack when she bumped directly into the _very_ solid hooded figure, looking back and noticing that he was no longer behind her atop the tree. He was about as tall as her, a little taller and the moon light cast a shadow over his face.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Ben was taken aback, pulling down his hood and revealing himself, "Dweeb?" he held his hand out for her to grab, to help her up so, she took it with her singed arm which he grabbed slowly, "Who did this to you?" he looked over the severe burns closely.

"I think I should be the one asking questions here," she noted as she reached into her bag, "But, before we say anything else, I brought you something…" she rummaged for a few seconds before pulling out the emerald-green wrist watch, the Omnitrix.

He looked down, almost in shock, taking it into his hands slowly, he felt the sides of it and took slow blinks, as if reminiscing; without responding, he chucked the watch over his shoulder and into the water, "If that's all you had to say… follow me, your arm needs better treatment."

She was flabbergasted, looking between him and the water where the Omnitrix was sinking into the depths of a distant planet, never to be found again; Gwen couldn't think of any reason to stay as her cousin and only life-line walked away, back toward another direction.

"Wait up!"

…


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Ajan Kloss**

The purple blur vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, she stepped out slowly, peaking over her cover and ankle deep in cold river water, she smeared the splatters of crimson blood across her face; a hooded figure stood atop the thick tree that had noticeably been chopped down. Balancing on the trunk didn't seem difficult and he hadn't noticed her yet spite him looking around, or that's what she thought, so she quickly ran towards her bag, clutching it close to her as she turned around to sprint for her life into the woods and away from the conflict.

She was so shocked that she nearly had a heart attack when she ran head-first into the chest of the solid hooded figure, looking back and noticing that he was no longer behind her atop the tree. He was about as tall as her, a little taller maybe, and the moon light cast a shadow over his face.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she shouted, tightening her embrace on her bag, closer to her chest, as she backed away on her hands and knees. She'd been ignoring the pain of her burned hand and with the rush of adrenaline from being shot at, she could hardly feel it.

Ben was taken aback, pulling down his hood and revealing his face in the pale moon-light, "Dweeb?" he held his hand out for her to grab, to help her up so, she hesitantly took it with her singed arm which he grabbed her forearm to avoid causing more pain, "Who did this to you?" he looked over the severe burns closely as she stood.

"I think I should be the one asking questions here," she noted as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and reached into her bag, "But, before we say anything else, I brought you something…" she rummaged for a few seconds, pulling out the emerald-green wrist watch with silver trim, the Omnitrix.

He looked down at the glimmering device in her hand, almost in shock to see it again, taking it into his hands slowly as if it were fragile, he felt the sides of it and took slow blinks, likely reminiscing; but, suddenly without responding to the gesture, he chucked the watch over his shoulder and into the water, "If that's all you had to say…" he trailed off and passed her back toward his camp-sight, "You should follow me, your arm needs better treatment."

She was flabbergasted, looking between him and the water where the Omnitrix was sinking into the depths of a distant planet, never to be found again; Ben didn't even look back at it after throwing it but, Gwen couldn't think of any reason to stay as her cousin and only life-line walked away.

"Wait up!" she shouted as she jogged over to walk next to him, "You're just going to throw it away?!"

He looked at her for a moment, and rubbed his growing goatee, "Yea, sounds right."

She threw her hands up as they stepped into the woods, over branches and into a trail of dead leaves, "I spent an entire year trying to get a spell to work on that watch so I can find out what happened to you and you just _throw_ it away?"

"I did," he repeated, "I don't need that thing anymore… besides, we're too far from Primus, it'll never work anyways."

He didn't hesitate to keep walking which pushed Gwen to keep up with him, "You could have used Jetray to… to-" she stuttered and looked around, scratching her head.

"To what? I don't even know what Galaxy we're in, even if it did work and I did transform, then what? I take off in some random direction, hoping to find my world?" he stepped over a large trunk without looking but, she didn't see it and nearly tripped as Ben caught her by the shoulder, also without looking.

"Here," he announced, pulling his saber hilt from his belt and igniting the amethyst blade, providing light for her as they walked.

"So, how are we getting out of this?" Gwen asked, finally having light to watch her step with; she rubbed her shoulders for warmth in her soaking wet white button up blouse, "Do you have some sort of strategy or… I don't know, some food that you don't need to pick feathers off of to eat?"

Ben held his lightsaber out in front of him almost like a lantern, lighting the trail in front of them; he sighed, running his hands through his surprisingly kept hair, "I don't have a plan, and you get used to the feathers…" he responded as they continued.

"You don't expect me to believe that Ben Tennyson, the laziest cousin I've ever met, doesn't miss his Sumo Slammers? Or his bed? Or… oh, I don't know, his _family_?"

He scoffed, "Oh, the audacity; I didn't choose to be stranded without my watch, but I did the best I could with what I had to work with!" he quickly swung through a tree in his way, she watched as the plasma blade melted through the bark like it were made of butter, "Yea, I miss _everyone_! But I don't think you're grasping the situation you put yourself in."

She rubbed her shoulders and arms faster, trying to warm up, "First of all, when did you get a thesaurus? And second, this is not my situation, I just came to get you!"

"You said it yourself, I'm Ben Tennyson, if I didn't come back in a year its because there was no, way, back!" He swung again, this time through a layer of thick bushes, leading to what Gwen noticed was light at the end of the path.

"You're kidding me, there has to be _some_ way back?" She questioned, "We can grab a ship and retrofit it to-"

"Do you think this is the first planet I've been to? We aren't just a few dozen parsecs from home, I was being literal when I said we're in an entirely different Galaxy," he sighed and tightened the grip on his saber, "Everything you're thinking of, I've already tried it."

"So, you've just been jumping from planet to planet by yourself? Like a hermit?" She asked as he approached the flora separating them from a brightly lit camp-sight.

He chuckled, pulling back some leaves and waving her through "Who said anything about all that?" she stepped into his camp sight including the massive ship which had tents extending out from the entrance, bulbs and torches were strewn about for light after the sun had gone down.

"So, you aren't alone?"

"Are you kidding me?" A voice echoed out from inside the tents; a female voice, "If it weren't for me, he'd be a pile of bones in the desert on Jakku," a woman stepped out with her arms folded, she had smooth tan-orange skin with white tribal markings across her cheeks and forehead, she was a specimen; she was already taller than Gwen with defined muscle tone… _everywhere_. Gwen wasn't exactly sure what to think of her but, she did like the alien-woman's blue sleeveless vest and warrior Amazonian look.

"Who's she?" they both asked simultaneously, more than a little judgement coming from either woman.

Ben walked between them both, towards the fire as he deactivated his saber and pulled down his hood again, "Enough chatting, you need to disinfect that arm and get something to eat, though you'll have to deal with the feathers," he showed off his basket of fried-chicken, or fried whatever-bird they hunted for the meat.

Ahsoka only observed them as he led her to the ship and showed her a bunk and a shower; he was being awfully nice to someone he'd just met, and who was she anyways appearing randomly on the same planet as them? She could be a spy sent to take advantage of Ben's good nature, or worse… someone who he actually likes more than her. Ahsoka pushed down her latent insecurities about not being needed and waited for Ben to come back out.

As she heard the ship's shower running, he stepped out after locking away his lightsaber; grabbing a fried wing, he sat down on a log and chomped away as he felt her staring at the back of his head, "Are you going to tell me who she is?"

"She's my cousin from Earth! Did I not mention that? She's Gwen… I mentioned her before, right?" he was incredibly casual, nonchalantly chewing his food and talking between bites.

Ahsoka turned back toward the ship, raising her brow, "_That's_ Gwen?" she'd heard stories of this 'cousin' he wouldn't shut up about, she was so great at this, and so smart with that; she wasn't sure what this 'cousin' title meant but, she didn't like it. Maybe if she were uglier, or fatter, or less curvy… she shook her own head and asked the obvious question, "Well, where the hell did she come from?"

"Earth, probably," he chuckled.

She scowled and folded her arms across her chest, giving him the dirtiest look, she could muster, "What?" He responded with his mouth full.

"She could be a shapeshifter trying to kill you! Or… something else dangerous!" She announced and sat on the log next to him, "How are you so sure that its really her?"

He looked at her as she raised a good point, glancing down to his chicken-wing, he sighed loudly, "I can feel it…" he said blatantly, after a few seconds of staring at the fire, he moved back to his food, "Plus, she's a magic user, she teleported herself here to find me."

"She told you that?"

He shrugged, "I picked up on some context clues?"

"I can't believe after everything I've taught you, you're still naïve enough to fall for this without asking the right questions!" she stood and waved her hands through the air.

"Relax!"

…

Gwen stared at the drain as the hot water and steam billowed out over her; dry blood, fresh blood, alien blood… did it even matter the distinction between them anymore? It all washed down the drain with two weeks of sweat and grime, now she could eventually come to process what her cousin had decided on but, what she experienced with the fire and the visions she saw before he arrived were too vivid to ignore.

She had been avidly studying mysticism from the age of eleven and yet never encountered such an out of body experience; there was something about this place, not just the planet but, everything through out space, like she was being surrounded by something just out of reach. Maybe even something that could get her home.

She closed her eyes and faced up into the steaming water as it rushed down her neck and chest, focusing her attention on the droplets of water, each and every individual one splashing against her nose and cheeks. She saw the light again but, that wasn't the power she sought, not the one she felt could find her way back; the opposing nature of that light was calling to her again.

"_Your cousin has lost all hope, its time for you to step up."_

She opened her eyes and the shower and ship were gone, just her in an empty void with the vision that had placed her hand in the fire, "We'll figure it out, one way or another."

"_Really? What if you don't? Would be practical to have a back-up plan, rather than rely on whatever make-shift plan he can throw together, if he does at all," _the vision looked into her eyes, as they flashed black and glowing yellow before returning to their original colors; she grabbed Gwen's arm and held it up, _"The pain… focus on the pain!"_

"Focus on the pain," she repeated to herself, reaching out into the burning sensation over flowing from her wrist and hand; the water cleaned the wound but, also made it sting feeding her anger which she couldn't pin point the source of. Just an over all disdain for the situation, circumstances, planet, and even her cousin was absolutely infuriating.

She wished she could say it was just her starvation and lack of sleep but, those were only conduits for something much larger turning gears behind the scenes; Gwen reached out into the darkness and it reached back, her vision was gone and she was left alone in the void.

"Hello? Where did you go?"

She sighed, "I'm alone again," muttering under her breath, it wasn't until she turned around that was taken completely aback by a tall dark figure with a long cape and an ominous slow-working respirator; his armor was impressive and radiated power, both physical and otherwise.

"_Yourself is all you need when you give in to the dark side!"_

"Gah!" she fell back nearly hitting her head on the wall as she toppled over in the large shower-room; her hands could feel the cool tile flooring again, the water was back but, it started to run cold as she looked around and couldn't find a single thing out of place.

…

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were acting jealous," Ben noted as he tossed a bone into a nearby basked, juxtaposed to the one half-full of fresh meat.

Ahsoka scoffed, turning around to face the jungle, "I have no idea what you're talking about," He stood up and approached from behind, placing his hands on her waist and sliding them up her hips.

"You're over thinking things," he noted.

She looked away hesitantly but, decided it was better to turn around and face her problems head first to avoid emotional turmoil it could cause in the future, "She's the one girl you wont shut up about from your actual home… I guess after I've been abandoned by my family, friends, the order… I just thought if you found someone else you wouldn't need me," she kicked a rock at her feet lightly, avoiding eye contact and a bit ashamed at her insecurities, though still dealing with them with decent maturity.

Ben took a few quick blinks, "Ahsoka… I… have I ever explained to you what a cousin is?"

"No," she blushed a bit, turning red in her cheeks, "But, you two sound extremely close and I-" he interrupted her with a kiss as she slowly melted into his embrace, they disconnected and placed their foreheads together.

"I don't think I could ever find anyone I like as much I like you," he gave her his trademarked smile which, she couldn't help but admit, melted her heart into a puddle.

"Awe, well, I mean when you put it like that," she responded nervously as he came in close again, acting as though he was going to kiss her again.

As his lips came closer, he leaned in and chuckled, "Also cousin means family on Earth; Gwen is like my sister, basically."

Ahsoka shouted with a giggle, playfully pushing Ben away they both had a good laugh, which ended with her embracing him tightly, "I can't believe you let me be jealous!" she laughed, punching his shoulder lightly, "Sorry I sort of freaked a bit…"

"Are you kidding? I brought a strange woman to camp in her underwear, you handled it way better than I expected, I should have said something," he responded, holding her hands as sparks flew through the meeting gaze of turquoise and emerald, he'd never get tired of the way she looked at him and vice versa.

Gwen peaked out from the corner of the ships entrance, they were too distracted to notice her watching them but, only rage boiled beneath the surface as she stalked. Ben wasn't trying to go home because he was in _love_ with this alien chick, he didn't care about either of their safeties or their families, he was being so selfish. He should be doing everything in his power to get home, instead he's dinner dating with an extra-terrestrial.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned back to the ship where Gwen stood in front of her vision again, her identical twin with a strange eye pigmentation, _"I told you, he cant help you, only though the darkness can you find your way home,"_ the apparition dissipated, leaving her with the affirmation that she couldn't get home without embracing this darker side of herself.

Gwen pretended that she hadn't seen or heard any of what had happened and stepped out of the ship in her white button up, which was secured up to a few buttons below the collar, and her pan-suited skirt, neglecting to wear a bra which was troublesome for a wet, white, thin shirt.

She walked up to them quietly, Ben took a few steps forwards but, didn't say anything as she noticed the basket full of food and quickly grabbed a cooked-bird thigh; tearing through the meat with her teeth savagely, Ben gave Ahsoka a slightly confused shrug.

"How long did you say you were out there?" he asked.

Her eyes darted up, looking at them both as she chewed and swallowed, covering part of her mouth which was table etiquette that was obviously a habit, "Two weeks, maybe twelve days…"

"Yea," Ben folded his arms, "Eat up."

Ahsoka sat down across the fire and gave her a softened expression, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't exactly meet you with the most hospitality, my name is Ahsoka Tano-"

"I was just calling you, 'chick whose _fucking_ my cousin' but, Ahsoka is a nice name," she took another mouthful and looked down as Ben gulped audibly.

"Excuse me?" She honestly couldn't tell if she'd just been insulted or not.

He sauntered over and sat down next to Gwen, putting a hand on her leg and shaking it, "Hey, talk to me, dweeb."

She scoffed, "So, you aren't planning to go home at all? Like, ever?"

He sighed in response, "Look, I know you're frustrated but, you cant look at it like that; this isn't like all of the other adventures we've been through," Ben caught his cousin's gaze for a moment as she looked up, "For an entire year I've been lucky to have Ahsoka around but, otherwise I would have died out here… and the things that happen out here," Gwen watched him as he clearly remembered something incredibly painful, she could feel it, how could she feel it? "Things are very different out here, more violent, more dangerous…"

"So… what? You become a hermit in a cave for the rest of your life?" She asked tossing the bone in the bin with other cleaned off wings and thighs piled up.

Ben was a tad frustrated himself but, decided it was better to show than to tell; he grabbed her hand and pulled her off her feet, leading towards an opening in the grass a few feet away as Ahsoka watched.

He stood a few feet away, facing her, "I learned to fight, come on…"

She chuckled in response, "Ben, I'm a third-degree black belt and my jiu-jitsu brown belt," folding her arms across her chest, she chuckled, "I'm not going to fight you."

"If you're so confident, lay me out," Ben challenged.

She narrowed her eyes, what point could he possibly be trying to make, no amount of training in just one year could prepare him for the decade of self-defense classes she's completed.

"Fine," she took a fighting stance and moved in to close quarters, she sent tried a cross to the face, just one would do the trick but, it never hit him as he ducked his head back; she huffed, he'd trained a little at least but, it was a fluke, it had to be. She tried for a quick advance, his head dipped to the side fully seeing her fist as it passed his nose, she swung over his head as he ducked and placed his hands behind his back.

"Come on! Fight!" He shouted as her anger took over and moved in with the full force of her training; she leaped for a jump front-kick as Ben bent backwards facing the night sky as her foot barely missed his chin. He quickly side stepped her next concurrent side-kick, he grabbed her ankle and the side of her foot and twisted her body without breaking any joints but still sending her spinning onto her stomach in the dirt, "If that's all you have, you'll die out here in a week."

This obviously stirred something in Gwen as she stood quickly, lunging at her cousin out of anger; he blocked a cross-punch with his forearm and responded by placing his foot behind hers and palm-thrusting her chest, sending her three feet away onto her back.

She clutched her fingernails through the dirt, she'd just finished getting moss out of them in the shower but, all of her rage simply boiled over and blinded her completely; instinctively, she grabbed a rock the size of a baseball embedded in the dirt next to her and turned, throwing with all of her strength. Gwen had immediately regretted her decision but, it was in the name of making a point, so Ben simply stopped its momentum in front of his face with the force.

It floated in front of his eyes without him even flinching; She quickly looked over at Ahsoka who was only watching from afar, eating one of the last pieces of bird meat that Ben had caught that morning. He reached out and let the rock drop into his hand, as Gwen slowly approached, "I'm so sorry… I've been so angry I just-" he tossed the rock aside and embraced her instead of arguing, "How did you do that?" She asked over his shoulder as he pulled back and gestured back to the campfire and sitting area, "All of it?"

"I had a tough teacher," Ben responded, giving Ahsoka a glance, "More importantly, it took lots of time and effort on her part, so I'll just give you the abridged version considering I'm the laziest cousin alive and all," this caused Gwen to smile as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and sat down across from Ben at the fire, "What you just saw was the force, as far as I can tell, its an all encompassing energy field, its everywhere and in everything."

Gwen propped her chin up on her palms, "Seriously, when did you grab a thesaurus?"

"You'd be shocked at how much slang I had to cut out living with this one," he jabbed his thumb over at Ahsoka who tossed a cleaned off chicken-bone at his head, which she giggled at covering her mouth.

Gwen smiled, this wasn't so bad, he was happy and who was she to deny him the right to find true love? He was young but, so was she and if Ben really wanted to spend his life out here, who was she to say no? This didn't rid her of the existential dread though, she herself still desperately missed her home, her parents, her friends, even her school.

"So, this force stuff, its powerful? Like my magic?"

He gave his teacher a look before returning his gaze back to Gwen, "Well… it depends, I don't think you're in any state to be thinking about stuff like that," he stood up and held his hand out for Ahsoka to stand with him, "You need to rest and hydrate, there's a bunk in the ship you can use."

"Can it get me _home_, Ben?"

He didn't respond so she repeated herself, "The force, can it take me home?"

Ben was going to respond but, Ahsoka spoke up, "No! No, it can't," she gave him an assertive look, which he caved to.

"Think about it like your magic spells back home," He explained, "It took you five years just to figure out mana manipulation, and even then you still weren't a total master with it," he approached and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "In time, maybe one day, we'll find our way home but for now, this is life."

She furrowed her brow once again, uncharacteristically slapping his hand away, "This is your life, Ben, your life; if you want to spend the rest of it here with _her_, that's fine by me but, I _need_ to go home!"

She turned around and walked into the ship, vanishing into the darkness as Ahsoka folded her arms in disdain, "She's pleasant…"

"Give it time, she's been through a lot," Ben reassured her, "Everything will be fine," they started blowing out torches and picking up bones and other scraps, cleaning out their campsite whilst Gwen stomped inside and sat on the smaller bunk across from the one welded together for Ben and Ahsoka.

"_So? Are you going to take my advice now?"_

Her vision didn't startle her this time, it was sitting on the large bunk casually as Gwen stared out at the entrance where the fire was being put out, "I'm in."

"_I've heard that before-"_

"No, I'm in all the way, whatever it takes, I _am_ going home."

…

**Four Thousand Parsecs Away**

Aboard his massive flagship, Darth Vader prepared to bow in his personal room, equipped with technology to assist his armor maintenance and a bed, there was nothing else he wanted to occupy the space with; the only thing he needed was his armor, his master, and the dark side of the force. In the center of the room was a holo-pad which he knew would activate any second, hence he bowed in front of it for his scheduled meeting with Darth Sidious.

As if on que, the hologram appeared ten feet tall and looking down on Vader, **"Hello, my apprentice, I was informed you have news for me," **he waved his hands around very slowly, shaking a bit, as if he were frail and weak beneath the cloak that shrouded him in darkness.

"The boy alludes me still, however; I've sensed another emergence in the force," he explained between breaths, "A woman with a powerful connection almost identical to that of the boy."

"**Interesting, I sensed this as well but, could not make sense of it; do you believe she will be troublesome?"**

"No, my Master, I believe she will be our greatest asset," he looked up at the hologram, his cold expressionless mask portrayed every sense of self-loathing he could possibly feel.

An enthusiastic smile revealed yellow, almost rotten, teeth as sinister as the color of his eyes, the Emperor chuckled in response, **"Good, good; bring her to me."**

"On the contrary, I sense that she will be the one to seek _me_ out."

…

**One Week Later**

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon as strange yet totally accustomed to chirping from alien birds cooed through the forest; just outside of the tent, in a clearing a safe distance from the ship, Ben meditated with his eyes closed floating ten feet off the ground with his legs crossed and using the force to levitate rocks off the ground. They orbited his position in perfect rings as though he had his own gravitational field, his black trimmed white robes and hood kept the sunlight hitting his face as he faced away from it with his hands on his knees.

Ahsoka approached with a mug of fresh water, she had her own but poured one for him two; force pushing it up towards him, he smiled and opened his eyes, grabbing hold of the handle, "Thank you."

She smiled in return, "How long have you been up?"

"An hour… or three," he didn't lose focus on his meditative position, "I felt a disturbance in the force, something I can't explain just yet."

Ahsoka sighed, this wasn't the first time he could sense something beyond her scope, "I didn't feel a thing, what do you think it was?"

He scowled off into the distance, turning his eyes to take one last look at the stars as the atmosphere slowly swallowed them from his vision, "Something incredibly dark."

…

Gwen couldn't sleep either only, she opted to stay in her bunk and rest as much as she could; she'd been regaining her strength and eating regularly so she was back to full health, and the visions weren't as frequent but, she could tell they were just waiting for something. She rubbed her eyes and sat up placing her feet on the cold metallic floors, shifting off the bed she moved to the edge of the ship and looked out a small window.

Ben was floating in the air with massive boulders orbiting him, how could he possibly have gotten so powerful in such a short amount of time? She trained her entire life and he only needs a year to surpass her in every physical aspect? On Earth it was fair to assume he got lucky with finding the Omnitrix but, now this would be proof that he clearly has the advantage either way.

She scowled as the boulders slowly drifted down to the ground, not making a sound as they slowly embedded themselves in the dirt; Ben did a flip through the air descending to his feet and pulling his hood down as he greeted Ahsoka with a kiss.

It infuriated her that while she was angry and frustrated, he was totally calm, how did he keep such peace in his mind? He lost everything just like she had, perhaps the force was the key to his zen? Though, she'd looked into the force once or twice already, and found no sense of mindfulness or enlightenment, Ben was a completely different person now and for some reason this just made her loath the situation even more.

It was time she took things to the next level but, had to be cautious about what her next move was; she buttoned up her white blouse which they'd managed to wash but, not yet replace. Gwen had insisted she was comfortable in the skirt and blouse so long as they were cleaned and dried when she wore them.

She stepped out of the ship hesitantly, approaching the two as they chatted, "Hey, Gwen, sleeping any better?"

"Yea," she lied, "A little bit, thanks," rubbing the back of her neck she quickly changed focus to something else, "When you meditate with the force, what do you focus on?"

He was taken slightly by surprise, Ahsoka watched him as she was just as interested in his answer as Gwen was, "Well…" he cleared his throat, "I guess when I was first starting out I did my best to hone in on the energy binding life together."

"I don't understand," she responded pretty quickly.

Ahsoka gave him a nod and returned to the tent, setting up hunting gear for their trip into the forest for food; Ben gestured for her to sit down on the grass with him, crossing their legs, he smiled as he never thought of himself as a teacher of anything but, this excited him.

"I think the best way to explain it is for you to see it for yourself," he instructed her to close her eyes and place her palms flat on the ground, "The force is an energy field like I said but, a lot like your magic it's not a physical energy, its sort of a spiritual tension; reach out with your mind, focus on that feeling and look deeply into it."

Gwen followed what he instructed her to do only as she reached out, she felt the overwhelming call to the force, such an intense wave as she was finally open to it; the dark side overwhelmed her curiosity as she spiraled into an abyss of voided darkness.

Ben frowned, "Gwen?"

She had a scowl on her face as she saw flashes of images, the death and decay of all living things, the hatred, the frustration, the livid anger that boiled within her; Ben could sense this, he could sense it strongly as his voice didn't stir her, "Gwen?!" he crawled over and shook her by the shoulders but, she didn't respond.

In her minds eye, she saw a dark room shrouded in shadows, a single throne at the helm of a massive Dreadnaught Star-Destroyer over looking the Galaxy from space; in the throne was Darth Vader, his armor and expressionless eyes looking out into distance but, what truly caught her eye was the slender figure standing next to him.

"There's something else, something hidden…" she muttered.

Ben frowned, "There's always balance; powerful light, powerful darkness; you have to resist it, it will call to you and you need to fight it."

"It's cold…"

Gwen's vision continued as the figure was dressed in a skintight black top that cut off under the breasts, a pair of black leggings and boots, with a cloak over her head shrouding her facial features in darkness. Images flashed of a massive moon-sized structure under construction as she vividly saw the destruction of several planets, feeling the waves of death and misery coming from every soul. When the figure lifted its head and showed her face, standing at the side of Darth Vader himself was her, Gwen Tennyson as she ignited her bleeding crimson lightsaber with a unique hilt.

Under her palm, the ground shook as dirt and pebbles lifted slowly off the ground an inch or two, a nearby boulder he'd lifted earlier split in two down the middle as Ahsoka peeked out of the tent, she felt incredible power emerging from within her. Looking at the two cousins, it was as though they were opposites, within him she saw nothing but a powerful light; within her she could see pain and suffering, darkness shrouded in more darkness.

He stood and got in front of her, "Gwen!" he screamed in her face but, it was almost as though it was dulled into the background of her vision.

She gasped as she stumbled back, startled as though she'd been woken up from a dream, she slapped her hand on the ground as though she might spill her guts but, she just dry heaved and took deep breaths, "It was trying to show me something…" she said looking out around her but, not directly at Ben.

"You… You went straight to the dark, it offered something you needed, and you didn't even try to stop yourself," Ben took a few steps back almost in fear as Ahsoka took this moment to step in between them.

Gwen composed herself after about a minute, straightening her top and slowly standing as Ben and Ahsoka were entirely speechless, "I need to do that again, it was trying to show me something, a way home!"

"No," Ben said quickly, avoiding eye contact with his cousin, almost instantly after she finished her sentence, no hesitation, "Never again…" he muttered as he walked off, toward the ship where she assumed, he needed to lay down.

Gwen watched him walk away as she turned her attention to Ahsoka, "You have to teach me… I can harness it the way he does, I can-"

"Look," she interrupted, "I've only ever sensed such raw darkness coming from a single person once in my life with my master, Anakin Skywalker. It didn't scare me enough then," Ahsoka walked past Gwen to move back towards the ship and check on Ben, "It does now."

…

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Ajan Kloss**

"There's something else, something hidden…" she muttered.

Ben frowned, "There's always balance; powerful light, powerful darkness; you have to resist it, it will call to you and you need to fight it."

"It's cold…"

Gwen's vision continued as the figure was dressed in a skintight black top that cut off under the breasts, a pair of black leggings and boots, with a cloak over her head shrouding her facial features in darkness. Images flashed of a massive moon-sized structure under construction as she vividly saw the destruction of several planets, feeling the waves of death and misery coming from every soul. When the figure lifted its head and showed her face, standing at the side of Darth Vader himself was her, Gwen Tennyson as she ignited her bleeding crimson lightsaber with a unique hilt.

Under her palm, the ground shook as dirt and pebbles lifted slowly off the ground an inch or two, a nearby boulder he'd lifted earlier split in two down the middle as Ahsoka peeked out of the tent, she felt incredible power emerging from within her. Looking at the two cousins, it was as though they were opposites, within him she saw nothing but a powerful light; within her she could see pain and suffering, darkness shrouded in more darkness.

He stood and got in front of her, "Gwen!" he screamed in her face but, it was almost as though it was dulled into the background of her vision.

She gasped as she stumbled back, startled as though she'd been woken up from a dream, she slapped her hand on the ground as though she might spill her guts but, she just dry heaved and took deep breaths, "It was trying to show me something…" she said looking out around her but, not directly at Ben.

"You… You went straight to the dark, it offered something you needed, and you didn't even try to stop yourself," Ben took a few steps back almost in fear as Ahsoka took this moment to step in between them.

Gwen composed herself after about a minute, straightening her top and slowly standing as Ben and Ahsoka were entirely speechless, "I need to do that again, it was trying to show me something, a way home!"

"No," Ben said quickly, avoiding eye contact with his cousin, almost instantly after she finished her sentence, no hesitation, "Never again…" he muttered as he walked off, toward the ship where she assumed, he needed to lay down.

Gwen watched him walk away as she turned her attention to Ahsoka, "You have to teach me… I can harness it the way he does, I can-"

"Look," she interrupted, "I've only ever sensed such raw darkness coming from a single person once in my life with my master, Anakin Skywalker. It didn't scare me enough then," Ahsoka walked past Gwen to move back towards the ship and check on Ben, "It does now."

Ahsoka entered the ship slowly, watching as Ben sat on their bunk and stared at the ground; he had never experienced someone so desperate for something they'd so eagerly turn to the darkness, then again, he'd never met another force sensitive person aside from Ahsoka and Darth Vader, two polar opposites, so he wasn't exactly versed in the subject. He was still shocked by what he felt.

She walked over and sat next to him, placing a hand on his thigh, "What are we going to do?" he asked her for guidance.

"I'm not sure; she's your family, I sense a great connection to the force within her just like with you but, something is incredibly off," she glanced out at the woods where Gwen stood, still taken aback from her experience, "I think she might be turning to the dark, we have to take action."

"What do you think we should do? How do we stop her from going down that path?"

She sighed, placing her elbows on her knees and her palms in her face, "I don't know, okay, I'm just as lost in this situation as you are; for now, we need to keep her from reaching into the force again and let's just hope nobody noticed her presence on this planet."

Ben looked back up into her eyes, the pain in his heart was obvious, she could feel the anguish of seeing a close member of his kin going through such incredible turmoil "I felt Vader, he was reaching out to her and she was ready to give everything up for a chance to go home, she doesn't know the monster he is."

"Maybe its time we told her more about the Empire and what they did to the Jedi; if we explain the complexity of the force, she might see reason," Ahsoka suggested.

"I guess we should lay all of our cards out on the table then."

…

Gwen exhaled deeply and sat on a log facing the unlit fire pit, of course the first time she finds a connection to a way home is the same time they choose to tell her she's tampering with _evil_ forces. How could she be so wrong?

"_Who said you were wrong?"_

Gwen looked up and found her reflection sitting across from her, "The look on Ben's face, I don't know if I can do this anymore…"

The identical apparition stood up and walked around the pit, placing her hands on her shoulders, massaging them seductively, _"You can't quit now, you're already so close to figuring this out besides, how many times has Ben made the wrong call that you have to fix?"_

"He once tried to use the pancake mixer to curl his friend's hair," she chided sarcastically to herself, "But, this isn't the same Ben though, he's been dealing with this stuff for over a year now, he definitely knows more about it than I do," this angered both her and the illusion.

"_And you think he hasn't touched the dark side since he got here? He's lying to you; he doesn't want you to become more powerful than him! He's lied too many times to just forgive him!"_

"That's not true, why would he lie?"

She leaned in to whisper in Gwen's ear, _"You've always been better than him at almost everything, he doesn't want you to ruin this for him and his precious girlfriend," _this resonated with her as she narrowed her eyes, slowly finding reason within her visions taunts, _"He's jealous of how powerful you could become."_

"Gwen?" Ben announced from behind her, "Were you talking to someone?"

"No, nobody," if he was going to lie, so was she, "Just me."

…

**Four Thousand Parsecs Away – Orbiting Ord Mantell**

Darth Vader entered the command center to his personal Star Destroyer; it was incredible how sudden his employees could be 'motivated' to work in complete silence the moment he entered a room. He walked through the rows of computers to the front row, three monitors down, he approached the navigation team, "I've located the presence of the target; set a course for Ajan Kloss."

"Would you like an inquisitor and company to be deployed, my lord?" One of the men he was speaking to responded with a salute.

"No, this time I shall pursue them myself," he turned and faced the windows overlooking a decimated planet with armies of ships flowing into the planet like a trail of ants, their invasion had all but concluded as he nodded in approval at their work, "Ready a battalion, I want to be in their orbit within the hour."

"Yes, Lord Vader!"

…

**Ajan Kloss**

"So," Ben started as he sat across from Gwen at the firepit, "I may not have told you everything about my time out here yet, and that's on me."

"Oh?" Gwen responded, not expecting a mature route from her cousin, he really had changed a lot since being out here, maybe even for the better.

He force pulled two pebbles from the ground into his palm but, instead of grabbing them he just allowed them to circle each other in mid-air, almost like someone tapping their foot unconsciously in a nervous situation, "Yea, like I said there's powerful darkness with powerful light and well, you don't want anything to do with the dark part of this, you have to trust me on this; they systemically wiped out a legion of peace keepers and took political control over the entire Galaxy."

She scoffed, "It's not like I want to become one of them but, if that power can take me- _us_ home than we have to try; whats the worst that can happen?"

The pebbles stopped their orbit and shook, suddenly cracking apart, "No!" he shouted as his eyes flashed bright yellow and the rocks flew inches from Gwen's face at speeds faster than she could track, hitting and denting the side of the ship behind her like bullets, "You don't know what it can do to you! It will _change_ you fundamentally, it will turn you into something you're not, you won't recognize the person that looks back at you in the mirror," he was speaking of his own experience but, little did he know she was already all to familiar with what he was talking about, and growing more comfortable with it by the day.

"I can't take it anymore, Ben! This place is hell and if a little darkness is what it takes to get home, I'll take that chance!"

She was taken slightly aback as Ben approached her and grabbed her by her collar, "You want to see darkness, do you?" he used one hand to toss Gwen through the air, hitting the side of the ship back first, tumbling to the dirt but, suddenly forced up to a standing position by a telekinetic push. Ben held his hand out with a smile as the locking cabinet short circuited and forced itself from the wall, prying open as the hilt to his lightsaber fluidly flew into his hand and ignited inches from Gwen's throat, "This is what you want to become?" the shine in his eyes told her that it wasn't her cousin anymore, but the darkness had balanced out with the light, he had _some_ control.

"B-Ben," Gwen choked as he didn't even realize his force push was cutting off her oxygen; he had no plans to stop but, turned to strike someone down when he felt an arm yank him back.

The blade stopped an inch from Ahsoka's face who didn't fear it at all, "That's just about enough _convincing_, don't you think?" He held out his hand and placed a palm on her smooth cheek, running a finger over her tribal markings for a second, "Please..." she insisted as Ben pulled back.

He let Gwen go as she fell to her knees, gasping for air as Ben deactivated his saber and strapped it to his belt, laying into her instead, "Ever since this bitch got here she's done nothing but talk about the dark side and how great it would be to use it to get to Earth, I can feel it in her mind, the intent to seek it out," he looked back down at Gwen and scoffed, "If you're comfortable becoming someone who doesn't mind hurting family and killing friends, be my guest."

"Ben was going to explain to her the dangers of the dark side, not give her a demonstration!" Ahsoka shouted as him with an angered tone.

He walked off and dusted off his robes, grabbing a basket for collecting dead animals for meals, "Yea, well I bet she's thinking twice about it now, eh?" he turned around and flipped his hood up, nonchalantly walking off into the forest.

She sucked her teeth at him, turning around and tending to Gwen, helping her to her feet, "I guess I should explain that."

"I'm… picking up… on context clues," she coughed as her throat was still sore, while Ben certainly hadn't used his full strength to choke her, it did still hurt quite a bit; Ahsoka led her back to where she was sitting and sat down next to her.

"Ben has struggled for a long time to keep his dark-side in check, when you turn you don't just gain power, you become someone else entirely," she looked off to where her boyfriend had vanished into the forest, "That person is ruthless, dangerous, unpredictable, and sometimes homicidal."

"He still fights it off? His eyes were yellow… but it was still him," Gwen responded noting in her mind the difference between his eyes and that of her vision's; the whites of her eyes were blacked out while his weren't, he'd somehow balanced the two sides of the force, at least for brief bursts.

She nodded in response, "I think you two are very similar somehow, you both have incredible connections to the force unlike anything I've ever seen; his dark side manifests much more potently than for others, and I think the same goes for you."

Gwen looked to the dirt in deep thought, "I just feel like this is the right way to go, my instincts are telling me this is the only way."

Ahsoka sighed loudly and looked up at the sky, "I'll level with you, I don't know you very well at all, we met last week and haven't talked much since. But the way Ben talks _about_ you… he adores you and if you want to compromise the morals that make you, _you_, then I can't really stop that from happening."

"Is that why the swords are locked up? Because he changes?" She changed the subject quickly, trying to avoid admitting her difficulties resisting the pull to the dark.

Her eyes dropped a bit, biting her lip, "Yea, he's tried to hurt me once or twice too but, I know its not him. He fights every single day to stay the man I fell… in love with," she hesitated saying that last part to his cousin but, didn't hold back, "I believe you need to think about who you want to go home to so badly and what they would think about you taking this path," Ahsoka walked off towards the tent, grabbing a bow and quiver of arrow looking far better constructed than her old one, "He usually goes back to normal a few minutes after calming down, he'll have a hard time hunting birds without these," she turned to walk back towards the forest when Gwen shouted out to her.

"You really are in love with him, aren't you?" Gwen asked with a half-smile, seeing how devoted she was to him even after how he'd acted.

"Yea," she looked back towards the forest with a smile, "I really am."

…

Gwen stared into her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she was completely alone again and Ben still lied about the dark side powers being capable of returning her home; she felt like her emotions were thicker and more potent than they'd ever been before now. Her anger, her frustration just kept boiling over, desperation she could not maintain without nearly bursting into tears.

If these dark powers could grant her sanctuary, if this power could take her home, how evil could it possibly be? She thought of what Ben and Ahsoka had said to her, they had to be wrong but, they sounded so right, she couldn't simply comprise everything she stood for out of greed. She clutched the edge of the porcelain sink, closing her eyes trying to shake the devious thoughts and the temptation, _"Use my power, I'm begging you, you'll never feel alone again."_

It was her own thoughts acting against her commands, feeding her these awful ideas, "I can't do this, I won't."

"_You don't have a choice, Gwendolyn, its already set in stone. What you will become is inevitable!"_

"No!" she shouted, reaching up and clutching her head with a bloodcurdling scream, reaching out into the force shattering every reflective material in the room.

"_It's your destiny!"_

She saw the strange figure again, a man in all black plated armor and a long cape; his respiratory device echoed as he spoke from an expressionless mask, "You will join me…"

"W-Why would I ever do that?" she huffed, looking up into the reflective eyes of his mask.

He leaned in a bit closer, "Because I can show you to your true home," he dissolved completely into smoke, dissipating and floating around her like a tornado, she couldn't hold her breath long enough to avoid inhaling it and once she had the black smog filtered through her nose, eyes, and mouth. Her eyes flashed bright yellow and the whites in her eyes were shaded in completely black; the contrast of the colors made her iris' pop as she curved her lips into a vicious smile.

"I understand it now, I understand my destiny."

…

Ahsoka caught up to Ben and grabbed his arm, "Wait up, you'll need these," she held the equipment out as he turned around and looked her in the eyes with his emerald pupils, "Do you remember what happened this time?" she asked.

He reached out and grabbed the bow from her slowly, "Yea, sometimes I get bits and pieces, sometimes nothing at all, sometimes… I remember _too_ much," he looked back out at the forest scouting for food as he took an arrow from the quiver she held, "Is she angry?"

Ahsoka scoffed, "She's been angry since we got here, now she might actually be questioning her decision to use the force to try and get home."

"Good," Ben answered as he pulled the arrow back on the bow-string, taking aim into the dense setting of trees, "She needs a little tough love, I got a lot worse than a few bruises before I learned how things worked out here."

She shrugged, "I don't know what cousins do on Earth but, I suppose this is a strange set of circumstances for you two."

"It really is, and we've been to different planets and other dimensions, we fought evil warlords before but," he fired the arrow which pinned a rodent-creature by its neck, killing it instantly, "She doesn't realize that this is permanent, the odds of us getting home anytime soon are slim even if I did put the watch back on."

"You had a chance to show me this famed Omnitrix and passed? That is _quite_ mature of you, when we met you would have done anything to fly far away from here," Ahsoka pointed out as they walked through the layer of dead leaves and collected the kill.

"Yea, well, I have lot more perspective now than I did then, I'm surprised Gwen's complimented my grammar as much as she has," he chuckled and yanked the arrow from the tree, tossing the killed animal into the basket, "But, I swear the only other place I've felt darkness like hers is… well," he didn't finish his sentence as he turned and looked back at her, emerald and turquoise iris meeting with an understanding gaze.

"Aboard Darth Vader's flag-ship," Ahsoka confirmed, "I still don't believe that Anakin of all people could have turned so far to the darkness, if I had been there for him maybe things would have been different," she added, looking back she felt almost like she'd failed him as a padawan, "Be there for her, so things can be different," she handed him another arrow as he contemplated her advice.

He heard a rustling in the leaves behind him, readying the arrow, turning and steadying his aim, firing and hitting his target in under three seconds flat; he'd hit a man directly through the helmet in between the eyes, dressed fully in white armor with black-trim, he collapsed backwards without a word.

"Is that…" she took a step forward as Ben grabbed her arm.

"We've been found," he announced as a ship hovered above the trees that covered them, clearly having spotted them; a blaster shot came from the distance, hitting the tree beside them, as the tree toppled over the ground troops had already been deployed, "Let's go!"

Ben and Ahsoka booked it back to the camp-sight as fast as they could, plunging through the bushes in a matter of a few minutes, jumping over roots and ducking under branches; they arrived to find Gwen sitting on a log casually reading her spellbook, one of the only things she'd brought with her, "This position has been compromised, we're doing an immediate evac," Ahsoka grabbed Gwen's arm tugging her towards the ship entrance within the tent.

"Compromised? By who?" Gwen asked bluntly as her answer came floating down on a TI-Fighter, a small one person ship the shape of a sphere with two long vertical plates to propel it; on top was the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader, looking down on his opponents from the high-ground.

"Ben?" Ahsoka shouted as he locked his glare on Vader.

He gestured for her to keep going, "I'll hold him off, get the engine prepped and ready for a hyperspace jump," he pulled his hood up and grabbed the hilt to his saber, igniting the amethyst plasma blade and holding it out with both hands.

Ahsoka pulled Gwen into the ship, she couldn't help but notice the lord look at her, _right_ at her as the door closed in between them; it was the man from her visions, Darth Vader, he was the one who could take her home…

"Seize him!"

A horde of stormtrooper clones came sprinting from the dense tree-line, firing off their beam weapons, each blast deflecting off his glowing blade; as he changed the angle of how he held the saber, the blast would ricochet into different troopers who approached the campsite. As they got closer to him, he swung the blade for the first time as he dodged under a clone's blast, chopping through his rifle and spin kicking him in the chest plate, sending him into a group of three others.

It wasn't long before they surrounded him on all sides but, Ahsoka didn't stop prepping the ship as the engines roared and tore their tent apart; Ben leaped into action, faster than the eye could process, he tore through the battalion like a one man army. He swung his lightsaber so furiously yet, maintained his tether to the light; he chopped through limbs and decapitated others, nothing could stop him as he changed from one direction to the next, faster than any clone could keep up with.

Ben force pushed a group of troops off their feet, knocking back half a dozen with one blast; he yanked all the rifles from their hands telekinetically and crushed them into one large pile of blackened steel. He moved through them fluidly now, cutting them down one by one, slicing through two men's midsections by spinning quickly with his blade out. He stopped at the perfect time and angle to reflect a blaster shot back at the shooter, putting a hole in his chest as he collapsed.

He was so fast, the stormtroopers were dumbfounded as they looked around for the target only to get impaled from behind as the purple blade pierced his back through his chest. Gwen watched from the window of the ship, his ferocity, his speed, his agility, she needed to learn how he obtained this power but, after what happened earlier that day proved Ben would never teach her what he knew, not fully.

Ben grabbed a trooper with the force as a group lined up and took aim; the clone he was choking and holding up acted as a human shield while he charged in, tossing the now dead body at them, knocking three of the four on their backs. The fourth was taken aback by a hand on the back of his head which pushed his face into Ben's kneecap, shattered glass tore through his eyes but, it was over quickly as he turned to reveal a side-kick that sent the clone tumbling into a tree, snapping the trunk in two and his spine at the same time.

Most of the troopers were dead or incapacitated, as Ben turned to face the unimpressed general of the attacking army, looking up at his cold, emotionless eyes, the darkest eyes… the devil's eyes. He back flipped over the left-over crowd, landing on Vader's TI-Fighter with him, "To engage in battle with me, is to court death," he remarked through his mask as he ignited his crimson bleeding lightsaber.

Ben held his blade out pointing directly at the Sith Lord, "Show me what ya got," he advanced forwards, turning and swinging for a horizontal slash, countered by a one handed vertical defense, the two energy blades clashing sent white-hot sparks around them. Ben broke their deadlock and ducked under the consecutive diagonal upwards slash attempted by Vader and countering with a slash of his own, returning to another deadlock.

Darth Vader clearly had the power advantage, his robotic strength pushed Ben back as their intersecting blades grew closer to his face; he used his opponents strength against him, allowing the momentum of his downward pushing strike to hit the ship below them as he spun out of the way, now behind Vader. As the ship slowly caught fire from within, blackened smoke filled the air around and between them, the dark lord turned around slowly.

Ben's eyes flashed bright yellow again and suddenly an explosion of force energy pushed Vader back almost ten feet to the edge of the small ship, "I'll never change who I am, no matter what you offer, no matter what you do to me, I'll always be me."

"Then I'll be forced to _destroy_ you," Darth Vader advanced with his crimson blade at the ready, he twirled it once during his approach sending sparks into Ben's vision giving him the advantage from the beginning.

As beams of crimson and amethyst clashed at speeds so great, it looked as though they moved in blurs, the twirling lights of their sabers were almost mesmerizing as Gwen watched Ben clash in an intense battle of raw skill from above; never in her life did she imagine she'd be seeing her cousin move that way without becoming something with more than four limbs.

His eyes were locked with Vader's as he countered a powerful vertical downward strike with his horizontal guard; the strength of the slash pushing down on him dented the sheet metal at his feet as his muscles tightened. While he was getting tired over time, Vader's mostly mechanical body allowed him to rarely feel drained of stamina, even if Ben could match his power and relentless attacks, he'd still lose the battle of attrition.

He front flipped over the Sith, attempting to strike downwards from above but, without looking Vader was prepared with his lightsaber held behind his back, blocking the contact as he turned slowly and slashed horizontally hitting a guard Ben barely managed to throw up at the last second. This knocked him over as his lightsaber was knocked to the floor, clattering and getting caught between the wing and ship, not yet falling to the ground below them.

Ben slowly stood, a splatter of blood not his own smeared across his face and partly down his robes, "You certainly are resilient, you refuse the path of the dark-side yet I sense you are no Jedi."

Getting to his feet, he quickly responded, "I'm neither Sith nor Jedi, I'm Ben Tennyson," he gave a quick smile as with one quick and decisive blow, Ben managed to palm-strike Vader's chest hard enough to send him off his feet, skating back on his heels with minor discomfort. He growled as his yellow eyes only flashed brighter, he needed to do something drastic as he looked to his hands and focused closely on maintaining balance.

Ben suddenly unleashed a powerful bolt of force-lightning on the Sith Lord, trillions of volts, billions of joules of energy cascading through his metallic armor; this power was strong but, the dark side was _stronger_. He recoiled for a moment before adjusting to the blast, taking several steps forward and pushing back against the lightning. Vader finally managed to get his lightsaber in between them as it started absorbing the attack for him even while his body still smoked.

"You underestimate my power!"

Suddenly, from behind Ben lowered Ahsoka and Gwen in their ship with the barrels of the cannons aimed directly at Vader who paused without fear; "This is for my master," Ahsoka whispered to herself as she fired a green bolt of energy capable of wiping out entire buildings directly into Vader's chest. He was knocked dozens of feet away and into the trees as the TI-Fighter they were on exploded again from within; the loading bay opened as Gwen held her arm out, the same arm she'd burned the day Ben found her, grabbing hold of his forearm. Pulling him to safety, he didn't forget about his lightsaber which he force pulled off the crashing fighter-ship and into his hand while the loading bay sealed itself up.

Ahsoka activated the lightspeed jump as it was already prepped and ready to go, they headed south into a hyperspace lane at a few thousand times faster than light; after about two or three minutes, they exited into space again, in an entirely different sector of planets.

"Hey," Ben's eyes were still bright yellow when he addressed her, looking at Gwen's arm intently, "What happened to your hand, I thought it was still scarred?"

She looked at her perfectly healed palm and chuckled, "Oh, I hadn't even realized, the burn wasn't that bad after all; I've been using that anti-bacterial stuff Ahsoka showed me when we first treated it," she walked off nonchalantly back to her bunk as he narrowed his eyes but, shook off the feeling none-the-less, it was Gwen, how much trouble could she get herself into while aboard a space ship? His eyes flashed bright green again, as he returned to the forefront of his mind, he pushed out any suspicion out of trust for his family.

Ahsoka managed to get them to a cruising speed and set autopilot as she spun around in the pilot's seat, "Well, good news and bad news, who wants which first?"

"Let's hear the good news," Ben noted as he grabbed a towel and wiped his face, the blood on the towel belonged to different clones, he stared down as he caught glimpses of the battle flashing through his memory, he'd just been in the thick of it minutes ago but, he still felt like the battle wasn't over. He stared back down at the bloody rag and couldn't believe how easily he could kill now, as though it were second nature, what a hero he turned out to be.

"Ben?"

"What?"

Ahsoka chuckled, "I said, the good news is that there's no sign of Vader or his troops, we lost them."

"Oh, and the bad news?" He sat in the co-pilots seat next to her as she turned one of the monitors towards him, "We took a bit of damage from the rushed take off, I need to stop somewhere soon to make repairs."

"Can you fix it on your own? Do you need parts?"

She rubbed her chin for a moment, "I think I should be able to get us up and running until we get to a new star system but, until then we need to find a planet to land on."

"What about that one?" Gwen pointed to a darkened world below, it was as if nobody but her could hear the whispers coming from it; the call to the planet was strong but, it was the call of the dead.

Ben frowned, "Do we know what that planet is?"

Ahsoka checked her equipment, looking over the radar, "Its name isn't charted but, it seems to be totally abandoned, no signs of life."

"Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice anyways," Ben announced as Ahsoka agreed with him and took them down closer, the atmosphere was almost made entirely of sand until they reached about a thousand feet above ground level. As they approached the ground, they noticed bolts of lightning striking the planet at random, a volatile planet obviously. As they landed, they noticed in the distance was a pyramid temple with an ominous vibe emanating off it.

**Moraband**

They threw up their shielding in a dome around the ship, allowing Ahsoka and Ben to work in peace; it was fifteen minutes after they landed when Gwen stepped out of the ship without being noticed. She stared out at the temple with thundering booms and bright flashes of lightning surrounding it, it called to her, it seduced her, it hypnotized her as her eyes flashed black and yellow once again.

She followed the call, making her way through the high-winds and nonchalantly walking through a cascade of striking bolts of lightning; she was only a hundred feet or so away now, the darkness that called to her only grew louder with every whisper, not just her voice but, the voices of many whose time had long since passed. Ancient evil lurking within a long since deserted temple, muttering to themselves for eternity.

Gwen approached the entrance doorway, placing her hands against it, her eyes illuminated brighter and the stone doors slid open just enough for her even though the massive temple gates could fit someone ten-times her size; the building within was shrouded in darkness but, her eyes saw perfectly through it like she'd never experienced before, almost animal-like.

At the far end of the temple was a casket made of stone with two dimly lit torches on either side; there were steps carved into the ground leading up to the burial site but, absolutely no indication as to who was buried there, no inscriptions or carvings she could read anywhere in sight. She approached and placed a hand on the tomb's lid, as she did, she was sure she'd accidentally activated some booby-trap or hidden mechanism but, instead the entire building shook, sending quakes out around it.

Ben and Ahsoka noticed this from the ship as they faced an open panel, they turned to see the temple as it vibrated with intense dark side energy; he quickly turned the corner, looking up into the ship, "Where's Gwen?"

Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the nearby pyramid, "Finish this up, I'll go get her!"

Meanwhile, within the temple, a massive apparition appeared before the young Tennyson girl; **"Who dares disturb the resting place of Darth Bane."**

Gwen took a few steps back as a phantom made entirely of dark energy and bright flames shouted with a powerful booming echo, he wore a mask melded with his face and armor across his body; she was slightly nervous but, the energy she was surrounded by only fueled her rage a thousand-fold and took her determination to new heights.

"I've come to learn."

"**To learn from me, you've trekked to this planet, do you know of who I am?"**

"No, I've never heard of you before."

He floated slowly backwards, almost offended, **"Interesting, what knowledge do you seek from me, dark one?"**

She was taken aback by being called a 'dark-one' but, fully embraced it, "Pass on your knowledge of the Sith, how do I gain more power!"

It was silent at first, taking a moment to answer, **"With this knowledge I will leave you, the Sith spent countless millennia killing one another for power, I am the one who established the rule of two. There shall only **_**ever**_** be two. One Master and one Apprentice, one to rule and one to learn; you must seek out a living Sith Lord to gain the power you seek."**

She grew a sinister grin, "Thank you, I know exactly what to do," as the phantom shrank into smoke and surrounded her, the darkness fueled her even further; the black smoke filed her lungs through her mouth and nose but, she accepted it completely this time, instead of choking, completely intoxicating her.

…

**Ajan Kloss – Twenty Minutes Ago**

A massive two-thousand pound tree trunk floated slowly off of Darth Vader as he used one hand to toss it aside, dusting off the pads of his armor; he was approached by a battalion of troopers, lining up in front of him, "Sire, we've tracked their jump to a sector not too far from here, if we narrow down-"

He passed them, moving towards one of the many ships that had landed in their former campsite, "There will be no need, I know exactly where they are going. She won't be able to resist the call of the dark-side much longer."

He jumped into a dual-person TI-Fighter, with weapon systems on either side built for two, he could still pilot it solo as he floated up slowly into the air, once a safe distance away, he jumped into hyperspace in the same direction as the three targets.

…

Ben used the force to push the doors open, sliding several hundred tons of stone aside for enough room so that he could enter; he ignited his purple plasma blade for light as he walked through the long hall. He remained cautious as he noticed light at the end of the tunnel, torches lit over some sort of coffin and two figures he couldn't see yet.

It wasn't until he got closer that he noticed Gwen standing side by side with Darth Vader, his hand leisurely on her shoulder, "You chose the right path, through the dark-side, you _can_ go home."

Ben held his saber up in anger as his eyes flashed bright yellow, "Step away from her, now!"

"Insolent child, she is the one who sought me out and lead me to this temple," Vader explained as Gwen turned and showed him her eyes for the first time, the whites had gone entirely black and like his, her eyes had turned yellow only, she was completely embracing it with a villainous smile.

"Please tell me you didn't do what he just said you did," Ben hoped for a logical answer but, she only gave him a grin and a shrug.

Ben tightened the grip on his saber-hilt, "I won't leave here without you, Gwen!"

She giggled manically as she took a few steps forwards, "This has been a long time coming," Vader took his saber-hilt from his belt and held out an open palm without a single word, she grabbed it and postured it for a moment, before igniting the crimson blade as red light cascaded off her face, "I'm done listening to you and your alien tramp girlfriend!"

Gwen sprinted forwards as Darth Vader watched and folded his arms, she was still impressive in her own right, master of several types of sword fighting, none of which included lightsabers but, it was close enough that she was able to pounce on her conflicted cousin.

She sent a downward strike which Ben connected with a diagonal upward guard, as their faces came close, he pleaded to her, "Come on, snap out of it, dweeb!"

Her eyes scowled as she pushed forwards, knocking him back a step or two, as she slashed to the right and left, Ben expertly deflected them but, the rage behind each swing was growing, "And stop calling me that! I _hate_ it when you call me that!"

He sidestepped one of her swings and tripped her with his foot but, she rolled with the fall landing on her feet and turning on a dime, swinging downward as Ben once again dipped back avoiding a sideswipe.

"I _don't_ want to fight you!"

"I _don't_ care!"

She swung wildly as their blades connected in a dead-lock, one Ben could think of six different counters for but, all of which involved severe if not lethal force and he just couldn't do it; he allowed her to kick him in the chest, her physical strength already clearly growing as it sent him through three stone pillars and into the entrance, shattering the stone wall and sending Ben tumbling onto the ground outside of the temple.

He coughed a splatter of blood across the stone ground as he tried to stand as best he could but, fell to his hands and knees; Gwen stood above him with Vader's lightsaber held high, ready to impale him, she placed her boot on his chest and pushed him down, also pushing on his injury, "If... you're ready to be that person, then do it, I won't... fight you."

Gwen's expression of utter malice and hate faltered for a brief second as she looked down at the cousin she spent almost every week with for five years; they didn't just go on one family summer vacation, they'd shared birthdays, gone to amusement parks, they attended middle school together and she protected him from the bullies, Cash and J.T. They had history together and she wasn't as prepared as she thought she was to leave it all behind; she didn't get time to reconsider as a simmering white plasma blade slashed Vader's lightsaber out of her hands, deactivating and sending it into the air where the force grip of Vader caught it, who strapped it to his belt as he approached the entrance to the temple.

Ahsoka landed and gracefully side-kicked Gwen in the abdomen sending her back into a slab of stone left behind from the temple door, cracking it apart with her back; she grabbed Ben and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling him up as blood trickled down his chin, looking back at Gwen as she grabbed Vader's hand, helping herself up.

Ahsoka bit her lip and turned around with sorrow, heading back toward the ship as quickly as she could with her injured lover in tow; the two now Sith Lord and Apprentice didn't follow them but, Gwen watched as they loaded up into their ship. Only a minute or two later did the ship start its engine and jump immediately into hyperspace, sending a powerful gust of explosive wind through the area, shaking the temple Gwen barely resisted it but, Vader didn't even flinch.

"What now?"

"Now, we will return to my flag ship where you will meet the Emperor, then your training shall begin," Vader turned around walking away without a word, he was cold and distant but, she didn't care at all. He was clearly stronger than Ahsoka and Ben combined, and she needed this power if she was ever getting home, she didn't need Ben, she didn't need anyone but herself and the dark side.

…

Ahsoka had gotten them a good distance away from Moraband, jumping from one lane to the next, changing directions to avoid being followed again as they finally exited space twenty or thirty minutes later; Ahsoka turned the seat around, placing the ship on auto-pilot, and facing Ben who was looking down at his feet, clearly deep in thought as he cleared blood from his face for the second time in one day.

"Hey," she said as she stood and approached, sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "I'm so sorry… Vader got into her head, there was nothing you could do, she's not lost forever though," she proposed.

"No," Ben refuted, "You said it yourself, if I had been there for her, if I had tried harder to be more compassionate, if I'd seen the signs sooner…" he looked down at his hands, a bloody lightsaber hilt in one and the shame and guilt he felt overwhelming him in the other, "This is my fault, I failed…" he stood up looking down at the blood soaked rag, "But, i'm also gonna be the one who brings her back to the light."

Ahsoka came from behind, wrapping her arms around his torso and placing her chin on his shoulder, "There's the man I fell in love with. What first?"

"First? Why are you asking me?"

She scoffed and turned him around, "I'll always be here to teach and guide you but, face it, you're a natural born leader; if we're going to get your cousin back from the dark, you're the best person for the job."

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "First things first, lets find a new planet to set up camp, find some supplies... then we finish my training, I don't care how long it takes. Until I can sit down and come up with a strategy, that's the plan."

"You got it, boss," she gave him a kiss on the cheek, moving back towards the pilot seat; maybe he wasn't the hero he used to be but, he just saw first hand what compromising your morals can do to you, he wasn't ready to give up the person he was and that person wouldn't rest until Gwen was safe and Vader was _dead_.

…


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Alderaan – Royal Palace**

**1 Year Later**

Being one of the core worlds and one of the largest monarchies that opposed the Galactic Empire, the planet and its representatives passive aggressively stood up to them politically through the senate to avoid war, however; avoiding violence altogether was entirely impossible.

The Royal Palace was possibly one of the most secure facilities in the entire star-system, perhaps even the Galaxy, but impenetrable it was not. Two guards dressed in all black armor with no masks, to help distinguish themselves as high ranking officers, faced the edge of a balcony hundreds of feet above a cliff. This was the one part of the fortress that was guarded by the least amount of men due to its position over a cliff and being that it was after midnight yet, somehow two black-steel arrows hit each officer accurately in the right and left eyes respectively. They toppled forwards and fell to their inevitable death as another arrow fired and imbedded itself into the concrete wall behind the officer's post with a steel cable secured to it.

A slender figure gracefully zip-lined over a thousand foot drop, landing on the balcony and snapping the line she used to get there, tossing it over the cliff casually; a black wind-shear mask was pulled over her mouth and nose and a black hood draped over her head and hair, shrouding her identity entirely.

Hearing some sort of commotion, one of the soldiers turned the corner casually, he didn't find his comrades and instead barely even raised his rifle before getting an arrow in the head, silencing him instantly. She sprinted down the hall and turned the corner, two more guards with weapons, its too bad they were facing the opposite direction, leaving them open to get arrows through the backs of their skulls.

"Hey!" She turned as a group of four had seen her attack from across the juxtaposed atrium, they fired off their blasters but, she dipped and weaved through the bolts even as they got in her close quarters. As they charged forwards, the mystery woman swung her bow upwards from the floor, hitting a man's ankle with such strength he flipped through the air landing on his back.

The Assassin readied an arrow on her bowstring, ducking under a soldier swinging his rifle attempting to clothesline her, she released the arrow hitting him directly in the chest, sending him off his feet and pinning him to the nearby wall. Bending her head to the left avoided a blast from behind where the last standing soldier held his pistol, "Damn you!" he shouted as he fired again, this time she dodged to the right and approached slowly, spin kicking the rifle out of his hands and following with a side kick that pinned him against the wall, she leaned in showing off her provocative flexibility.

She was in close enough that he could see clearly that she had emerald pupils, incredibly distinguishable even in the darkness of the night, he grabbed her ankle and realized how much stronger she was than him as she pulled an arrow back on her bow, looking him dead in the eye as she fired it downward, hitting his comrade who she'd knocked out when they approached, killing him.

The soldier was terrified but, she giggled as her eyes flashes bright yellow and the whites in her eyes clouded until they were darker than the night sky; she pulled down her mask showing off milky Caucasian skin, pale red lips, and even her orange hair peaked out from under her hood.

"_Sector Twelve, we heard a disturbance, report?" _The officer's radio went off from his belt as she reached out and unhooked it, slowly putting a finger to her lips.

"Shhh," she whispered seductively as she crushed the radio in her hand, dropping the plastic pieces and methodically jabbing the soldier in the throat as he choked and collapsed to the ground with a shattered windpipe.

Gwen was quick and aloof, slipping through the halls with impressive discretion; as she approached the hall leading to the throne room, she sensed three figures guarding the large wooden doors around the corner.

"Sector Twelve?" One of the bigger men was speaking into his radio, obviously the head of security, "Someone go check on them, they've probably got their heads up their own-" Gwen took one leap into their line of sight with three arrows readied on her drawstring, she flipped mid air and while upside down fired them, each one hit an individual guard between the eyes, landing gracefully without fault, it was only a few seconds before they all collapsed without a word. She'd been so fast, they couldn't even register their own deaths; Gwen strutted down the hall as she readied an arrow and kicked the throne-room door down, inside she found the target and her husband, discussing political matters at a large desk.

They put their hands up in immediate surrender as Gwen took a few steps forwards, "Queen Breha Organa, Senator Bail; Darth Vader sends his regards," she let the arrows loose but, they slowed down before hitting their targets, stopping mid-air.

"Gwen!"

She turned slowly to find two hooded figures, clearly her old friends Ben and Ahsoka, who used the force to stop her arrows from killing the targets, as they clattered on the ground; she didn't answer at the call of that name, she simply readied two arrows and fired them simultaneously which the duo responded to by igniting one blue lightsaber and one amethyst, lighting up the dimly lit room. The plasma blades effortlessly chopped the projectiles in half, two-hundred miles per hour was not impressive to their enhanced senses.

Ahsoka spoke up, "We'll take it from here Queen, please get your husband out of here," she insisted as the woman stood up, lifting her robes to walk faster as they exited under the protection of the two warriors.

Bail Organa, the senator who recognized Ahsoka from the Clone Wars and worked alongside her personal friend Padme, now deceased, spoke up, "You… Are you two Jedi?"

"No," Ben responded without hesitating, "This is personal and we're just saving your lives," he gestured for them to keep moving as they exited the room; Gwen gave a long sigh as if she was getting bored.

"Do you know how long it's going to take to track her down and kill her now that she knows I'm coming?" Her laugh was unsettling, there was nothing funny, but she just giggled to herself, "Sorry, I just thought it was a bit funny how I just find that _more_ exciting."

Ben narrowed his eyes, pulling down his hood, he'd fully grown out his beard and his growth spurt and muscle gain had not gone unnoticed, even Gwen could see he was slowly beginning to resemble the future version of himself they met when they were ten years old.

"So, now you're just an assassin? Killing for money? The type of scum you used to protect people from?" He asked, holding his saber out as she scoffed in response, "Gwen, this isn't you."

Her smile faded instantly at the sound of that name again, her rage boiled over once again as her eyes flashed bright yellow again, she tossed her bow aside and force pulled the exotic curved hilt from her belt, into her individual hand igniting a crimson lightsaber and aiming it directly at Ben, "I told you that wasn't my name anymore! And I don't kill for money, I kill for the Empire!"

"What happened to going home?" Ahsoka announced sarcastically, "You've been brainwashed!"

Gwen cracked a sinister smile once again, her eyes glowing brighter, "This _is_ my home!" she flipped over them, too far for either of their sabers to reach as she engaged them both at the same time after landing behind them.

Ben and Ahsoka took turns attacking to keep her from fleeing; Gwen defended well for the amount of training she'd done since their duel on Moraband, her blade crossed with Ben's as he pushed her back against a wall and Ahsoka lingered behind him, "This isn't the cousin I grew up with, Gwen!"

"I told you, it's Darth Anodyne now!" she force pushed him back first into the massive desk, toppling over the chair as his saber hit the wall and fell beside him, "And your cousin is _dead_, I killed her."

Ahsoka swung downwards from behind as blue met crimson with white hot sparks cascading across the room; Gwen adjusted herself and swung fast but, Ahsoka still had the skill and strength advantage, being able to counter any move she made. Anodyne swung right and Ahsoka swung left, clashing in a deadlock which the latter clearly had the advantage in, she slid her blade till it was as close to the hilt as she could get it.

Anodyne was struggling but, Ahsoka only seemed disappointed in how the dark-side turned yet another good soul into something twisted and malicious; deactivating her lightsaber, she turned as Gwen swung downwards and Ahsoka spun, elbowing her in the back as she toppled forwards.

"You're out numbered," Ahsoka announced as Ben stood up, wiping his lip and force pulling his lightsaber back into his hand, igniting it with an intimidating glare, "And out classed."

"Just come back with us, you don't have to be this person anymore, I don't know what they did to you but, remember what we've been through," Ben pleaded as he walked around the desk slowly, "What would Grandpa Max think of what you're doing?"

"Who?" She asked genuinely, "Oh right, I forgot about him, I've moved on from petty emotions like love and kinship."

He narrowed his eyes, "Then why didn't you kill me on Moraband? Or when you stole Ahsoka's kyber when we were on Vandor? You had the opportunity both times, why didn't you take it?"

Gwen looked him in the eyes, they were bright green, he'd learned to control the darkness within him, for the most part, he must think he's so special; she turned back to Ahsoka who agreed to let Ben settle his family affairs without intervening, she was so smug but, the one thing that caught her attention the most was the matching golden bands on either of their ring fingers. She even wore the ring on the hand that Gwen had scarred her on, amongst the battle to steal her purified Kyber months ago, it was clearly a scar she would carry for the rest of her life.

"I'll admit that maybe I wasn't ready back then but," she looked down for a second before regaining her composure, quickly advancing and swiping her crimson blade vertically downward meeting a right diagonal guard from Ben's amethyst plasma blade, "If you cross me again I won't hesitate to wipe you _out_!"

He allowed her to break their deadlock, sending him back a foot or two, which is all she needed to activate an explosive on her discarded bow from a switch on her belt. The explosion sent a plume of tear gas and smoke out into the room, covering her escape as the smoke filtered out into the hall.

When it all cleared, Ben swung his blade through the smoke and discovered she was gone; they coughed once or twice as they exited the room, dusting off their individual cloaks, "We should get out of here before someone makes a Jedi sighting report," she suggested as he nodded in approval, flipping up their hoods and deactivating their sabers, they vanished into the palace without a trace as guards tended to the royalty.

…

They spent many months tracking the metaphorical footprint of death spreading across the core systems to eventually lead them to Gwen and Darth Vader, the latter of whom had begun sending his new assassin and apprentice, Darth Anodyne, to kill off any and all threats to the Empire's vastly growing power. The love-struck scavengers eventually managed to steal a larger more versatile ship to use as a home and transport on their mission; it had three levels, one being a cargo hold with barely any room for anything other than supplies, the second being a living quarters they'd made their own, and the third was a cockpit with pilot and co-pilot seats, a half dozen monitor screens, and advanced weapons systems.

It had been a long year and he'd done a lot of growing up in that time, the things he was forced to do and the things he'd seen were almost getting to him; and after failing, once again, to stop Gwen from hurting people that night he was more stressed than he ever had been in eighteen years of life. Ben found himself feeling personally responsible for not helping his wayward cousin when he had the chance and now that she was too far gone, he felt it was at least his responsibility to stop her from killing more innocent people. Every second he lets her spend with that mechanical monster, she grows closer to the dark side and further from him; he could see that her mind had been twisted by means besides the force alone, they were controlling her like a drone at this point. She would say anything they wanted her to say and do anything they wanted her to do, it wasn't always clear that she was being manipulated but, he could sense her mind was clouded beyond just the promise of going back to Earth.

"Hey," Ahsoka muttered as they boarded their vessel and locked up, preparing for takeoff, "We'll stop her the next time," he turned to face her with a thoughtful expression as he continued his inner tirade out loud.

"It took us two months to find her next targets, she took out three different people in that time, how many more suffer while I… scatter to fix my mistake," he ran a hand through his combed back brunette hair, sighing deeply as he took a seat at the head of a holographic table projector, which was exactly what it sounded like, giving them three-dimensional access to maps, blueprints, and even geographic intelligence.

Ahsoka felt horribly for the way things had gone down the last time they faced off with Gwen but, every time they caught a glimpse of her, it only seemed to get worse. The clothes she wore, the things she said, the vacant look in her eyes, "Hun," she rubbed his shoulders from behind, "You're too stressed, we'll take her out, we just need-"

He pulled away upon hearing her phraseology, standing up to face her, "How many times do I have to tell you we aren't taking her _out_, just down. You know the difference."

"Well, excuse me but, usually I kill people when they turn to the dark side, fry my hand by destroying my own lightsaber," she flashed her scarred right palm, where the flash-burn had been the most severe, "And then go on a hunting spree, killing off bounty hunters and politicians across the Galaxy!" Ahsoka huffed as she watched his expression soften.

"I won't give up on her, there's still something left of her, I know it," he placed his hands on the silver rim of the table; double tapping the galactic map on the flat surface which projected a 3D model of the core worlds where they were currently located, "We need to find out who her next target is faster so we can intercept before she moves on."

"You don't think she'll circle back to the Organa's?"

He rubbed his fingers down his bearded chin, "No, Vader is the one deploying her on missions and the Empire can't publicly execute high ranking core world politicians, at least, not yet they can't."

She snapped her fingers, realizing his point, "Now that they know they're targets, security will be too tight for her to sneak in and kill them alone."

"Exactly," he nodded to her and looked back to the map, "We need someone with in-depth Sith knowledge or route data for the Empire's cruisers," he actually hated how used to this new lingo and extensive use of the English language the natives called 'Galactic Basic,' long gone were the days of abbriviating every other word to 'LOL and 'OMG.'

Ahsoka tapped the screen a few times, zooming in on a desert planet just on the edge of the sector under the control of the intergalactic mob boss Jabba the Hutt, the planet's name was Sriluur and its most common export was illegal spices, sort of like the Galactic cocaine, "I know a guy who doesn't owe allegiance to anyone or anything, except credits, he'll just as easily sell you a gun and sell ammo to your enemy."

"Sounds lovely," Ben chided as they zoomed in on the planet itself and plucked atmospheric data, population growth, and other important informations, "How does he help us? Besides giving us happy dust?"

"He'd do anything for a profit, so long as we have the better offer, we're protected by his gang of pirates," she turned around and took her cloak off, draping it over one of the chairs beside them, "After we hijacked that Empire Trade Supply to Coruscant, we should have plenty of credits to bribe the information from him and earn his silence," Ahsoka unclipped her belt, lying it on the chair but, Ben hadn't taken notice yet, looking over the data extrapolated for the planet they were next headed to, "Just don't drink anything he gives you."

"Duly noted," Ben traced the outline of his beard with his index finger, "If we can track the route of Gwen's ship, we can get the drop on her before she does anymore harm," He announced as he continued reading through lines of code he'd been taught to examine before landing on new planets, he'd learned a lot about the logistics of flying and using the hyperspace jump in the last year.

Ahsoka, still standing behind him as he focused on the maps, curved a smile and unzipped her navy blue sleeveless vest, sliding it off her shoulders and down her arms as it hit the floor; fitting her thumbs in between the hem of her pants and her hips, she slid down her pants as well. It wasn't until her silver wrist-guards clattered on the metallic floors that his attention was drawn from the computer, when he turned, he nearly gave himself a nosebleed.

"We have _some_ time before we need to leave," Ahsoka insisted as she took a step forwards in the bare nude, it wasn't the first time he'd seen his fiancé undressed but, it still took his breath away every single time, "And I think we could _both_ use a shower, perhaps if we took it together, we could save time?" She played with the collar of his shirt, imagining his smooth skin against her fingers, looking up into his eyes seductively.

"I guess… we have some time," Ben didn't stop her from dragging him in the bathroom, where they could enjoy the evening together without interruptions.

…

Aboard Darth Vader's flag-ship, Gwen was shut away in a dark room with one tolerably comfortable chair facing one large screen; every time she returned from a mission, she was led to and forced into that room in front of that screen to undergo the same process, her performance in the field dictated how long she spent in the chair. It wasn't surprising that she'd spent all night in dark isolation after failing to eliminate the targets assigned by Lord Vader.

In the chair, she was strapped down by silver clamps at the wrists and ankles; the large screen displayed a hypnotic visual and she was forced to wear an apparatus on her head that filtered waves of binaural beats and isochronic tones, both of which were perfectly tuned to make her mind malleable and suggestible. To reinforce this idea, a looped track of constant mantras spoken by an artificial voice were forcefully played in her head for hours on end coupled with random electroshock compulsion therapy.

It wasn't surprising that she resisted at first, she was promised a way home and instead she was knocked unconscious at the order of Darth Sidious, there should only ever be two Sith Lord's at once; one apprentice and one master, never more or less. This wasn't the plan Vader had for her but, he didn't say a word to protest it either, he gladly led her to the room and watched as the initial programming phase trained her to be less forward thinking, less free willed. Once she'd been inducted, she only ever went in the room when she finished a mission, however; she recounted her first day aboard the ship, nervous and shy, practically hiding behind Lord Vader's cape as he led her in and suddenly, she was out cold. When she came to, they had her stripped down and hooked up to the chair and headphones. She didn't see him again for a week, or three, that portion of her memory was distorted as she could feel the walls put up by the constant subliminal messaging and electric shocks; when he _did_ eventually come back to check on her, she was a mindless drooling mess but, one that was easily controlled. Once she was perfectly obedient and had totally forgotten about her desire to go home, the real training began.

She was molded into a warrior in the following three to six months, fighting for her life for hours every single day, pushing her body to its upmost limit; she trained with normal methodology like swordsmanship and archery until the point of passing out on most days but, as she proved to be a prodigy in either with the power of the force guiding her, she was quickly introduced to lightsaber training and dueling.

Gwen received her fair share of burns and cuts but, never lost a limb or took severe damage from her own blade or others; after a month or two of this, she was finally ready to begin her real training. Spending nearly five days in 'the room' before being assigned this mission, she was instructed to find Ben and Ahsoka's camp and infiltrate it to steal the kyber crystal out of one of their sabers, suddenly it was all she could think about, she just wanted to make her superiors happy; the most severe case of Stockholm Syndrome in the Galaxy. The construction and collection of a kyber powered lightsaber was child's play for her level of skill, which is why the Sith had the rare challenge of making the kyber of a Jedi's weapon bleed. Her target was Ahsoka for the mere fact that she was a former Jedi Commander in the Clone Wars and had double the sabers to choose from, doubling her odds. Gwen initially tried sneaking onto their camp grounds, knowing exactly where they hid their blades at the time, but she was caught by Ben and when Ahsoka stepped in to intervene… Gwen accidentally destroyed the lightsaber as it was pulled into her hand, the force protected her for the most part but, Ahsoka's hand was badly scarred from the flash-fire; she still managed to steal the remaining crystal from her other white bladed hilt, corrupting it herself.

As far as she was aware, the mission was a complete success and she poured her hate and flooded the kyber with malice and anger, turning the crystal bright red and installing it within a customized saber for her.

"_You will obey the Empire, you will forget your past, there is only enslavement, there is only compliance; You will obey the Empire, you will forget your past, there is only enslavement, there is only compliance."_

The images and electric shocks forcibly reset her mind every single time she went on a mission, believing in new things, forgetting others entirely; she fought for the Empire, she lived for the Empire, she didn't get a choice, she didn't want one anymore. She was the perfect warrior. Darth Vader's personal assassin, _Darth Anodyne_.

…


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Darth Vader's Flagship**

Within the room that the Empire used to brainwash its inquisitors, Gwen was strapped in and on hour eight of her regular conditioning and hypnotic brainwashing, it usually lasted a few hours longer at least but, interrupting her programming was Darth Vader himself, entering the room and shutting off the screen. Her senses were dulled and her eyes were blurred, hearing the looped audio still echoing in her mind, he looked down on her as she blinked a few times, shaking her head, "How do you feel?"

"I feel… fine," she muttered after a short pause, taking notice of and wiping away a trail of drool that went from the corner of her lip down her chin, dripping into her lap for hours, "I'm ready to comply, Master," she said with an absent expression, staring off at Vader's helmet.

He used the force to unlatch her restraints with a gesture including the one on her head as she reached up to remove the headphones from her ears entirely, Vader turned without question, "Good," he said as he approached the door and turned around to give her room to stand up; a man she hadn't noticed stood up from a stool behind her, he approached and she allowed him to attach a device to the back of her neck, docile to his instruction for the short procedure. From behind each earlobe, the node sprouted a nano-mechanical face mesh over her mouth and nose, she found this mask was far more breathable than the last and took this as a sign to flip her black hood over her head as well, allowing her red hair to spill out around her neck.

"What is my next mission, master," she knelt down to one knee and bowed her head to Darth Vader.

He glanced back at scientist who spoke up instead, "During your initial brainwashing you were probed for information and revealed to us that you once utilized magic before you arrived in this Galaxy, is this true?" he lazily flipped through a clipboard of notes that she didn't have any recollection of them taking, somehow this was natural, forget to remember and remember to forget, obedience to the Empire was pleasure for her, she tried questioning when or how they got this information but, before the words left her mouth she felt her mind going blank and fuzzy. "You spoke of using telekinesis, pyrokinesis, weather manipulation, gravity manipulation, and even teleportation over great distances, is this all true?" The combination of hypnosis, binaural beats, isochronic tones, and electroshock therapy formed an intense brainwashing effect that would cloud her mind of all distractions if she ever tried to disobey or have controversial thoughts of any kind, struggling to answer she ended up speaking totally truthfully, submitting to her programming.

"I… I... yes, it is," she replied finally her pupils expanded as her senses dulled, finding her jaw going slack as she slipped into deep trance, staring off still on her knees.

Darth Vader spoke up as he unfolded his arms, "Good, leave us," he instructed to the scientist who didn't take a second thought to walk out the door, sliding passed Vader without touching him; once alone with Gwen, he closed and locked the sliding mechanical door, "Your next assignment as my apprentice will be to travel to the planet of Dathomir," he held his mechanical hand out and from his palm came a holographic image of the crimson hued sphere floating in deep space, "On this planet lived a tribe of witches known as the Night-Sisters, they used magicks in similar ways that you described to us, I want you to learn and train as much as you can to replicate their power."

Gwen questioned for a moment, not remembering when or how she described her powers and magic spells, in fact, she didn't know what day it was or even how long it had been since she was dropped in this Galaxy far from home; once again, her brainwashing swept over her mind like a wave totally clearing all distracting and controversial thoughts, "Yes, my master," she answered with another drop of drool slipping down her slack jaw, running down her chin from her lips.

"Do not fail me, Darth Anodyne," Darth Vader took a step forward as Gwen mindlessly stared out at him from a kneeling position; he reached his gloved hand out, wiping the drop of saliva from her chin with his thumb slowly as his mechanical fingers grazed her cheek giving her goosebumps. She felt an almost orgasmic pleasure as she lost all sight of who she was again, feeling him touch her was like bliss, to know that her master cared for at all it was more than clear now that the conditioning was a complete success, she was addicted to the pleasure of pleasing her master. He quickly turned, pulling his hand back and unlocking the door as it slid open for him, "I do expect tangible results, slave," he left her shivering on her knees as he vanished into the halls disappearing. Gwen wasn't the type of woman to be lewd or sexual but, it was totally against her will when she realized that she was soaked in-between her legs, just from a single graze of his hand, the programming she experienced in the last year had stripped her of her identity entirely.

"Yes, Lord Vader," she gulped as she stood up straight at attention, she knew now was the time to be equipped for her mission by an Imperial Scientist but, would wait at attention until they arrived, there was no hesitation left in her mind. The scientist that had spoken to her a few minutes prior eventually re-entered the mental-training room as Gwen still stared blankly out into the hall while she waited for her equipment; the man wasn't in any armor, just a white lab coat and pants but, he was in charge of her brainwashing and programming so, eve he couldn't help but get curious as a woman of her beauty was constantly mind-wiped, hypnotized, or otherwise influenced. The scientist took his eyes from her behind and handed her belt to her as she grabbed it methodically, without taking her glossed over eyes off the hall, he handed her a quiver of black arrows and her bow which she slung over her shoulders. As she was busy strapping her belt around her waist, he decided that she would be to distracted to notice if he reached out and attempted to cop a feel of her developing chest, figuring she wouldn't be disturbed from her deep trance state.

He figured wrong as the moment his clammy fingers touched her breast over her tight black spandex combat suit, Gwen reached up grabbing his wrist, twisting it until it snapped audibly; he fell to his knees, screaming in pain as she looked down at him with a bright yellow glow in her iris', "Only Lord Vader can touch me," she muttered very forcibly as she force pulled her lightsaber from a nearby examination table, strapping it to her belt and walking out, leaving him crying in agony.

…

**Sriluur**

Ben and Ahsoka set up camp only fifty clicks from their next destination, which was the castle residence of Hondo Ohnaka, local drug lord and known pirate whose just barely kept out of the Empire's crosshairs thus far; managing to stay hidden within a belt of asteroids that surrounded the planet keeping massive Star Destroyers from easily entering its orbit. Keeping out of sight from the pirates, they landed and locked their ship in a ravine next to a long, glistening river with babbling brooks cascading down the smoothed stone canyon. It was the middle of the day and still a few hours before they made their trek to see Hondo so, they spent their time mostly talking. This planet was much hotter than the last few they'd been to, one of the hottest in the star system to have such large natural water ways, making it perfect for refilling their fresh water reserves as well as some well deserved rest and relaxation before their next mission.

It felt almost like paradise, Ben was shirtless wearing long skin-tight black spandex briefs cutting off at the mid-thigh and lying across a large smoothed over boulder peaking out of the middle of the large river in the heat of the sun. Ahsoka laid next to him, wearing nothing beside her maroon panties, which she insisted was a childish name for women's underwear but, it still made her laugh when he used it. They had their heads propped up on their palms, laying less than a foot apart and talking for hours, Ben casually traced the white tribal markings across her tanned skin, they went down her back and extended over her sides and her right under her perky breasts. The design was uniquely exquisite and such a naturally beautiful pigmentation, one of the many reasons he was lucky to be engaged to her, he traced her smooth skin in the sun which only gave her goosebumps as she giggled in response as she listened to him talk about his days as a hero on Earth.

"So, I removed the feedback inhibitor and sent this huge explosion across the battlefield," He threw his hands up for emphasis, causing her to giggle even more as she couldn't help but find him absolutely adorable, "It wasn't until after _that_ that Azmuth decided to reset the watch and give me access to some new transformations, after that I spent six weeks fighting crime until school started again," he laid back as he readjusted his fingers back to tracing her markings under her breasts.

Ahsoka hummed as she felt his hands slowly caressing her side, slipping down her hourglass figure and even tracing her firm abs, "Mmm, you have so many interesting stories for a youngling, how did you end up removing the…" Ahsoka trailed off looking for him to fill in the blanks, snapping her fingers, "The, uhh..."

"Omnitrix."

"Right," she nodded, trailing her fingers across his thick forearm in return for the caressing of her skin he'd been doing for a while, "How did you get _it_ off if it was connected to your DNA?"

Ben looked up at the beautiful sky, slightly purple with a bright gleaming sun pouring much needed rays down on them; "We used this device thing, it was so painful I thought my arm was going to come off, I ignored the heroes call for five years before getting the courage to put it on again," he looked down to his wrist, long since evening out his tan from having a watch strapped to his arm for six months, she slowly ran her fingers over where the watch had been, wondering to herself as she looked up into his eyes.

"Do you miss it?" Ahsoka asked keeping her head down but, still looking up into his eyes with the cutest expression as her hand wrapped with his.

He chuckled in response, imagining how different things would be if he had landed on Jakku with the Omnitrix, or if he had never gotten dropped there in first place, he couldn't picture a world without the love of his life with him, though he did miss the easy access to any number of special abilities, "Sometimes," but as he trailed off he looked back into her ocean blue eyes, practically sparkling, "But, I threw it out on Ajan Kloss because I've moved on from that part of my life, I'm doing something else now and," Ben shifted closer as his pelvis thrusted into her abdomen lightly, reaching around and slipping his hand under the Lekku that hung down from the back of her head so he could support her neck, leaning forwards to meld his lips with hers slowly, melting into each other's warm embrace, "I wouldn't trade it in for the world," he muttered as the feeling of her skin grazing against his was already pleasure enough.

"You know," she reached out and brushed her fingers against his golden engagement band, identical to the one she wore on her own finger, "You can be really sweet sometimes, its too charming, it needs to stop," she giggled sarcastically as she dug her head into his neck, kissing his skin slowly with her eyes closed. Ben's face heated up a bit as he giggled himself and pushed her away, until of course they caught sight of each others eyes. Pausing for a moment as their hands intertwined, palm to palm, totally incapable of tearing their gaze from the emerald and bright blue iris'; after a minute or two, Ahsoka spoke up, "Have you heard from… _him_, lately?"

Referring to his other, darker half that he meditated and trained constantly to maintain, Ben chuckled and pulled his hand back to respond, "I don't know why Gwen fell so easily to the darkness but, my dark side _wants_ to coexist, it just doesn't know how; on the other hand, her dark-side completely took over her better judgement." He sighed loudly, looking back up at the sky as he shifted onto his back, "I miss her, I really wish I could talk to her about this stuff and the connection to our Anodite forms," he looked down in shame for the first time, Gwen was always the more studious of the two and if anyone could learn to control this power he was developing, it would have been her, "I don't even know how I pulled off what happened on Vader's flag-ship."

Ahsoka brought his chin up with a finger, looking back into his eyes, "We'll get her back, I have faith that the force will guide us toward peace, one way or another," she noted repeating the first lesson she ever taught him.

Ben smiled warmly as he looked over his fiancé's face, the white tribal markings that were slowly growing overtime, the color of her skin and the way she looked at him with such confidence and love, it was like she was a guide for the demons he struggled with, "I don't know what I'd do out here without you, Ahsoka; three years ago, I was just a kid lost in a desert and somehow I stumbled on the love of my life," he honestly couldn't believe how lucky he was to have met her in more ways than one, she was the first person in this new world to show him the light in the darkness.

She gave a wide grin in response to this comment, again proving how unbelievably smitten with him she was, "Awe, Ben has a soft spot for hot alien warriors that take him in like a stray," Ahsoka giggled as she finished, noticing him only smiling in response; he lunged at her, mounting her waist and pressing his lips up against hers once again, a short but passionate lip-lock that he never wanted to break from, once they did seperate for air, she eventually spoke up to him still on top of her, "I know a great spot on Naboo, incredibly secluded, where we can have our ceremony; I know it won't be until after we find Anodyne but, I'm a bit excited…" she sat up facing the coursing river, a few fish jumped from the water as the sun-light danced off the splashed droplets creating a small portion of a rainbow, it was truly a majestic area.

"I remember a time where you wouldn't even let me sleep in the ship with you," Ben retorted as he leaned back, staring up at the sky with his hands behind his head, "Feels like a hundred years ago."

"There was a time when I truly believed I'd never find love, it was against the Jedi code, I thought I would be dedicated for life so there was a time I thought I would be emotionally trapped forever," She glanced back and leaned into Ben, lying her head on his chest to stare up at the sky with him, "If I hadn't met you I'd be isolated, distrusting, and… sad."

Ben chuckled arrogantly, "I know… I'm _pretty_ awesome."

Ahsoka quickly jabbed his side with her elbow, casually giggling as she did, "Don't get too cocky, or you can sleep by the fire again," she laughed.

…

**Dathomir**

Gwen's pod landed with haste, diving through the smoggy atmosphere and green skies to arrive outside of a large and seemingly abandoned palace, towering into the sky but, unkept growing moss and other foliage around it; her landing pad slid out and connected with the ground allowing her to step off of her ship.

Her hood and mask covered her appearance, so she kept her bow at the ready, scanning the area with both the sense of sight and the force, she was surrounded on all sides. Men were hiding all around her, behind structures of stone and rock that made up the canyon she'd landed in. Though they thought they were hidden, she could sense each and every one of them vividly, every movement they made.

Suddenly, Gwen turned on a dime, pulled an arrow from her quiver, drew it back on her bow and released it up toward a cliff perfectly cleaving an arrow aimed for her head in two before it hit her. A man with black skin and yellow markings all over his body lowered his more primitive bow and his head, taking caution as the others peaked out, gazing at her one by one.

"What business do you have with us!" One man shouted from the crowd, cupping his hands around his mouth to throw his voice.

Gwen didn't answer for nearly a minute or longer, she looked around counting targets and escape routes, she looked down at her bow and tightened her grip, "I wish to speak to the Nightsisters!" she shouted, grabbing another arrow from her quiver and propping it on her bow, "I won't ask twice."

They began showing themselves, one by one, over twenty men with primitive weapons stepped out into the open wielding clubs, swords, and hammers amongst other more basic tools, "You threaten us when you are outnumbered?" another man asked.

Gwen narrowed her emerald eyes as they flashed yellow and suddenly the arrow she prepped earlier loosed at speeds too fast to dodge, pultruding from one man's neck. He keeled over holding his throat as blood splattered on the ground in front of him; two men approached with their clubs, swinging downward, they missed as Gwen sidestepped their advances with ease.

Retaliating, she jabbed one man in the throat, breaking his windpipe, as he staggered back she pulled back another arrow and fired it through the next mans leg, he fell to one knee screaming as she reached down and pulled it out viciously. Gwen turned around as a third man advanced to intervene receiving a bloody arrowhead to the jugular before he could even speak.

She turned sharply as they were all afraid to approach now, she'd done it all in under a minutes so they hesitated before even considering an advance into her close quarters; she caught sight of one man and force pulled him by the throat thirty feet over into the palm of her hands, squeezing his neck.

"I want to know about the Nightsisters, are they alive? What magic did they use? Did they leave behind any scriptures or texts?" Gwen asked holding him up four feet off the ground as he choked.

"I… I…" she obviously let the anger get the better out of her as he couldn't even answer her questions with the force she was putting on his neck, she dropped him and kicked his shoulder as he landed on his back. He held his chest taking deep heaving breaths, "Just before the end of the Clone Wars… a Sith Lord sent an assassin to wipe out the Nightsisters… there lives only one still roaming the halls of the palace," he huffed between sentences, "She controls the clan of the Nightbrothers now."

Gwen looked around at the scared men gazing at her with such fear, it wasn't something she was used to but, it made her feel strong none-the-less; Gwen turned away from the man and approached the castle but, four men got in her way, each one either red or yellow with black tattoo-esque markings and multiple short horns sprouting from their skulls.

"We are not allowed to let you enter."

Gwen reached back and holstered her bow to a compact apparatus on her back before gripping the holster to her curved lightsaber hilt, she pulled it out and ignited it as the crimson blade illuminated the area, "Then you have to die," she said through a modified voice in her mask.

"If that is my fate, so be it…"

Gwen closed her eyes, questioning her morals and ideals was incredibly tough but, her programming over powered her thoughts, she _had_ to obey the Empire, the Empire is _all_ there is, she _must_ obey; her eyes glossed over and she spun into action slicing through the first man killing him instantly and methodically, another raised his hands above his head ready to swing a large club down on her but, his head toppled to the ground decapitated before he could react. Gwen kicked the next man so hard his torso shattered and he flew into the side of the canyon, cracking the rock walls; the last man backed away but, unlike the twinge of compassion she had before, this time she didn't take her eyes off the entrance as she cut the man down cold, the two halves of his torso sliding apart into the dirt.

She deactivated her saber and holstered it, "I must obey," she muttered as she approached the massive throne room doors and pushed them open, swinging with a loud ominous creaking.

…

**Sriluur**

Ben made sure to take an actual shower with his lovely roommate, washing and trimming his thin beard before cladding himself in white and black armor, taken from clones but, modified with a black and green Omnitrix symbol painted into the chest plate, a holster for a single pistol blaster, and a brown hooded cloak draped over him. He holstered his lightsaber and tightened his belt as Ahsoka got ready in a similar fashion.

She opted to keep her blue sleeveless vest and damage resistant flexible spandex pants, comfortable with several pouches with a belt that holstered her lightsaber; she strapped up her combat boots and tossed her white cloak over her montrals to hide her appearance as Ben did the same with his hood.

As they locked up the ship and headed in the direction of Hondo's palace, still pretty far away, Ben killed time by getting some information he'd held out on asking for a while now, "How do you know this Hondo guy?"

Ahsoka frowned, "During the Clone Wars we'd run into him from time to time, he's crafty and does anything for profit, betrayal, murder, theft… _kidnapping_," she said the last one with a lower tone clearing indicating something had happened.

"What happened between you two?"

She sighed and looked up into his eyes, "I was captured by his pirates and he held me captive for nearly a week; I was forced to wear an inappropriate outfit and get him drinks, thankfully the group of padawans that saved me didn't see that part," Ahsoka reached out and grabbed his hand, "He called me his _little Jedi_, it makes me throw up in my mouth just thinking of asking him for help but, I know how much it means to you so I will…"

Ben looked down at her, he had never seen anyone who wasn't blood related to him this devoted to his cause, it was unbelievably romantic, "If we weren't almost at the door, I'd kiss you right now."

"Save it for later and let me do the talking," Ahsoka said firmly as they approached, she reached out and knocked on a massive metal door which a metal slid opened showing two eyes.

"Passcode."

Ahsoka approached, "Tell Hondo that his 'precious little Jedi' needs a favor from him."

The man behind the door raised his brow before sliding it shut; several minutes passed and one lock after another loudly clanked and unlocked, "Ahsoka Tano! I was almost sure you were dead after _everything_," He was a reptilian alien, he had he had a helmet covering his head with bandanas and pirate-esque attire to match.

"Cut the crap, Hondo, you've got information, we've got credits, lets do business," Ahsoka said bluntly as Hondo looked around at his posse before returning with a smile.

"This…" he muttered, "This is the type of attitude I _love_ in a customer! I hate small talk," he wrapped an arm around her neck and walked her through his facility as Ben was forced to stay upfront, "We've got sales on ion-blasters, brand new!"

"I'd like two things, my friend to join me and information on Sith cruising routes," she folded her arms as he paused and his expression changed.

Hondo pulled back, scratching his chin, he waved his guards to let Ben follow Ahsoka over to where they were standing, "Sith cruise routes, you say? You wouldn't happen to be Jedi again, would you?"

Ahsoka spoke, "I'm not paying to be asked questions."

"Well, with the Imperial bounty on your heads, I think I'll profit from your capture-" Suddenly, the men from behind pulled small devices from their pockets while the two fighters were facing Hondo, "More than helping you with your silly problems."

Before either could react, Ben and Ahsoka were struck in the back with two darts each, instantly causing delirium as they fell over Ben tried catching Ahsoka but, they toppled on top of each other unconscious in less than a minute.

…

**Dathomir**

Gwen walked the halls of the darkened palace, she passed a round table surrounded by chairs, empty and littered with cobb-webs and alien-spiders. She trailed her finger across the layer of dust on one of the chairs as she moved into the next room, facing another round table only smaller with an empty cauldron sitting atop it.

Something quickly passed her from behind as she twirled with a fighting stance ready, she noticed nothing but wasn't expecting a strike from the back sending her horizontally into the table, hitting the cauldron and shattering the wooden table.

"You dare desecrate the ruins of the Nightsisters?" a figure hooded and shrouded in mystery stood above her as her hands illuminated bright green, a toxic shade of green that almost oozed poison.

"Who are you?" Gwen asked.

"I am sister Merrin, I am the last of the Nightsisters."

Gwen backed up a bit and stood, dusting herself off, "I came to learn, to utilize magicks the way the sisters did."

The figure approached slowly, still shrouded in shadows, it looked her over and nodded, "You _do_ have the perfect connection to the dark-side to learn the arts but, simple it is not," she pulled back her hood revealing short black hair and a scar running up her face, "You must reach deep with yourself, learn to focus the dark-side energy within you if you wish to learn dark-side magick."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

…

Ahsoka and Ben awoke with a gasp as they stood, they quickly realized they were chained to the ground by steel chain; they looked around at their dark empty cell, a horde of rats crawling about, "I told you to watch your back."

Ben scoffed, "You got knocked out too…"

Ahsoka pulled on her restraints but, they wouldn't budge even with her enhanced strength, "We might be in trouble here," she said as she noticed both of their lightsabers and blasters missing.

"Indeed," the reptilian mob boss entered the room with two men at his side wielding rifles, "The Imperial Bounty will be more than enough but, I was thinking of selling your sabers separately for even more profit."

As Ahsoka hadn't gotten anywhere, Ben took a step forward, "Here's what's going to happen, I'm going to grab those keys, unlock this door, and kill every single one of you until I get the information I need."

"My little Jedi, I didn't know your friend could be so-" before he could finish, he was force pulled just with Ben's mind, hitting the bars of the cell face first pinning him against it.

Ben scowled as yellow flashed through his iris, "Never call her that…" Hondo strained himself to press a single button on his gauntlet that electrocuted him through his restraints, causing him to drop the pirate lord.

Ahsoka knelt down and held Ben by the shoulder as he reeled back from the sudden shock, "I'm warning you Hondo, if he gets too angry, I won't be able to control him."

Hondo looked at his guards, rubbing his chin and clearing his throat, dusting himself off, he motioned to down the hall, "Bring in extra security, watch them while I contact Imperial forces to collect the bounty," he walked off as Ben's eyes returned to normal, dull emerald as if he were holding back the darkness.

Ahsoka pulled his head into her chest, between her breasts, "Shhh," she whispered, "We can't have you going berserk just yet," taking a look back, there were now six men watching them.

…

**Dathomir**

"Magick was used for many things, connecting to the dark-side of the force can lead to many abilities inaccessible to other force users," Merrin explained, "I sense a great power within you, the spells you cast if you learn them properly will be incredibly powerful."

Gwen looked down at the palms of her hands, narrowing her eyes, "How do I summon these powers?"

Merrin led them through the temple to the furthest room to the back; there was a library filled to the rim with books, texts that detailed the history and techniques of the extinct Nightsisters.

"Thank you," Gwen turned but, her guide had vanished almost into thin air, creepy but not the scariest thing she'd ever seen.

She grabbed a large, thick, dusty book from the shelf gently, hoping it wouldn't turn to dust on contact; she flipped through it and begun her research into the dark arts of the mystic force.

…

"What's the plan?" Ben asked as Ahsoka eyed one of the guards who nonchalantly watched for whatever passed as TV on this planet, some holographic screen, noticing the keys on his belt.

She left his side and shushed him, getting close to the bars and closing her eyes, Ahsoka reached out with the fore and took hold of the key slowly and carefully unhooking it from his belt. It was halfway across the room when one of the men noticed her attempt and shouted "Hey!"

The key card dropped and two of the men picked it up, opening their cell they prepared for combat but, with a single button Ben and Ahsoka were electrocuted, sparks flying as they fell to their knees convulsing.

"Since she's spazzing out," One of the pirates grabbed her by the metallic collar and pulled her up, "Why don't we see what she's got underneath?"

Ahsoka grabbed his wrist as he reached for her breasts but, before she could snap it, she was zapped once again causing a shout of pain this time. He dropped her as she twitched, "two-hundred-and-fifty thousand volts aught to keep her docile," he unzipped her blue sleeveless vest but, before he could see anything he shouldn't, the entire cell shook as more men filed into the room.

Ben's eyes flashed even brighter yellow as the white of his eyes flashed blue he snapped his restraints and force pulled Ahsoka from his grip and into his arms, tearing her collar off with brute strength; they tried sending jolts through his own collar but, Ben didn't even feel the surge of energy cascading through his veins as tore it off just as quickly.

Ben sent a palm strike into the air towards the aggressing guard, the force push sent him back first into the wall, cracking apart the concrete; He helped Ahsoka up as they hobbled their way out of the cell, they were met with resistance as Ben looked up into the hall.

He stepped in front of Ahsoka as she huffed and smoked from being electrocuted; the larger men swung at the young man, Ben dipped his head to the right, grabbing the man's wrist and dropped his elbow on the mans joint, snapping it. He elbowed him in the face next sending him into the wall where Ben grabbed his as bashed it into the concrete three times before dropping his body.

Two men wielding pipe-like weapons swung but, Ben dipped and dodged around their advances; one swing came close to his face but, instead of countering his anger had boiled over. The pipe stopped inches from his face before the force surrounded them, crushing the metal pipe and lifting the men off their feet slowly.

With a push of unbelievable strength, every interfering person in the corridor was forced up against the wall, paralyzed and watching as Ben carried Ahsoka out into the hall where they'd arrived. He exited the room and closed the door behind them, kicking the locking mechanism apart as the clanking sound signified a lock.

Hondo was sitting behind a bar, alien liquors all around, he held two lightsabers each belonging to them who were unhappy by the betrayal, "I'm going to give you one chance to hand over the sabers and the information before I lose it," Ben announced.

Suddenly, without que, fifteen or more men came in from all sides surrounding the two as Ahsoka looked around and took the best fighting stance she could as she shook off the jolts; rifles and blasters were aimed at them but, Ben wasn't afraid in the slightest, "If you shoot, I can't guarantee you'll survive, I'm begging you to just do business with us."

Hondo kicked his feet up and took a deep breath, "How about… no!"

They all fired at once but, none hit their targets as Ben's eyes were glowing yellow and every blaster shot had frozen midair; using the force to stop a single plasma blast was impressive already but, to stop fifteen or sixteen at the same time. Ben widened his eyes and swung his hands out sending every single blast back where it came from hitting the shooters in the chest.

Hondo was alone suddenly as Ben force pulled his lightsaber into the air, front flipping through the air and grabbing his saber before landing on the bar and igniting it close enough to cut the pirate's head off with one swing.

"I'm getting really impatient, give us the information or I swear whatever the Empire does to you I will repeat ten-fold," Ben grabbed Hondo by the collar and tossed him across the room towards the entrance before back flipping to land in front of him, "Do I have to ask for the transport routes again?" he held his blade closer to Hondo's throat.

He chuckled, "Oh, you mean _those _Sith cruising routes, of course we can do business," Hondo reached into his pocket with a gulp and handed Ben a data-drive, "This should have up to date information on trade routes, cruising ships, Star Destroyers, you name it."

Ben took the drive and kicked Hondo back, "Thanks so much for the hospitality," he helped Ahsoka up and made their way to the exit, leaving the facility.

"Hey! What about payment!" Hondo shouted.

"You forfeited it when you tried to sell us into slavery!" Ben shouted as they walked off towards their ship hidden within the ravine not too far from them.

…

Gwen sat in a dimly lit room, which didn't bother her eyes anymore, with texts and book laid out all around her; the inscriptions and talismans weren't all too different from what she'd learned from Charmcaster's spell book and the incantations were pretty simple compared to what she'd already mastered.

She stood up reading a spell from the book opened directly in front of her, as her hands twirled in a cascading formation summoning emerald green energy, the energy condensed until she could extend her palms sending a pulse of magic that put a hole through the wall.

"Perfect."

…


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Ben 10 or DC

**One Month Later**

**Alderaan**

Ben and Ahsoka made their trek across the Galaxy from Sriluur towards the core systems, nearing Alderaan which Ahsoka had managed to decipher the location of Gwen's next target from the data they 'liberated' from Hondo; she was going to attempt to assassinate a high ranking Republic figure, one of which was becoming a problem as rumors of a resistance against the Empire started brewing among the core worlds.

As they landed and locked their ship down, Ben exited the shower with a towel wrapped lazily around his waist showing a very chiseled v-line running down his pelvis; he approached the holographic table and projected a detailed map of the surrounding five-hundred miles, he examined the area, "We can probably find a good place to start looking for her target here-" he stopped as he was interrupted.

"Actually," she proceeded to disperse his map and produce one of her own displaying alliance safe havens, starfighter hubs at level five or higher, rebel operations sectors and regional headquarters, and even shadow planets with deep space caches, "I have friends that are a part of the rebellion here; my master and I had business on this Planet during the Clone Wars," she remembered liberating the major cities of the droid occupation but, also the loss of the commanding officer of that mission, "They can provide shelter and assistance in decrypting the rest of these files to find out who Gwen's next kill is."

"Don't say it like that," Ben muttered as he turned around dropping his towel and dressing himself, a spandex black suit with white armor over his torso and thighs and the Omnitrix symbol painted on the left chest-plate; he tightened his belt and holstered his lightsaber and blaster, "I know we can save her, we have to," throwing his brown cloak over his armor acted as a way to hide his protective gear.

"I love optimism just as much as the next person but, I don't know how you can stop her now that she's gone down this path," Ahsoka noted as she too stripped.

Ben tightened his fist without turning around, "I will, I swear it."

Ahsoka zipped up her blue sleeveless vest and strapped her gauntlets on; pulling on her flexible pants and strapping her lightsaber to her belt, "Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement."

"My judgement is fine!" His eyes flickered yellow briefly as Ahsoka folded her arms and leaned back, "I'm working on it," he added as she stepped into his embrace, letting him wrap his arms around her, "I will master this power and keep us both safe."

…

**Dathomir**

Gwen only needed a few days to memorize the spells, incantations and potion combinations before jumping back into her pod and leaving the star system, traveling towards a new planet teeming with dark-side force energy; Mandalor had a history of war, violence, and destruction but, thanks to the recent late Duchess Satine, it became a neutral party in the Galactic Civil War as well as the Galactic Empire. Gwen spent weeks meditating, floating off the ground with green mystic energy surrounding her.

Every day she meditated further into the dark side as she was instructed, she hadn't been contacted by her master, so she assumed her training hadn't been finished yet. She couldn't help but agree as she definitely didn't have these new magicks under her control yet.

She let all of these frustrated emptions flood her mind as she opened her eyes with a snap and a bolt of green lightning struck a tree in front of her causing it to burst into flames, exploding apart. Gwen was getting closer to becoming the first Sith Lord with Mage abilities, at least, she assumed she was the first.

Channeling her rage, she slapped her palms together and focused her energy as massive trees unrooted themvelves, pulling from the ground around her from the telekinetic force she was wielding; this was something any powerful force wielder could perform but, she tightened her grip and the trees withered away in a matter of seconds, lifelessly drifting away in the wind. The life energy that was within those trees flowed through the air visibly, surging around her as it entered her body through her skin, her eyes, her mouth as she gasped for air, she smiled.

Without a second thought, she turned on a dime and fired a bolt of green lightning with precision, splitting a tree in two; she looked around and lifted the boulders up higher before tossing them as far away as she could, a few dozen feet each, dropping the trees while she was at it.

She fell to her knees, looking at her smoking palms, she curved a grin as a chuckle escaped her lips, one of a sinister nature, "I'm ready."

…

**Alderaan**

**Two Hours Later**

Ahsoka led Ben through a dense forest towards a base hidden within the cover of the trees; she followed coordinates from a hand-held device, guiding her through the thicket of leaves.

"Who's this connection of yours anyways?" Ben asked pushing a branch out of his way.

She didn't take her eyes off the locator, "A… friend, we got along well together and saved many from the separatist armies," Ahsoka tracked her path through a dense foliage where two men came rolling out of either side of their entrance, rifles aimed and primes.

"State your business before we light you up," he announced as his finger grew ever closer to the trigger.

Ben chuckled, "Trust me, you wouldn't wanna to do that."

"I'm personal friends with commander Lux, I need to speak with him," Ahsoka wasn't at all afraid of their weapons as they slowly lowered them, "I'm Ahsoka Tano, Commander of the Republic… former commander," she corrected herself solemnly.

One of them kept his blaster trained on them while the other sprinted into the camp, likely to get his commanding officer, this Lux person, he didn't sound too impressive.

"Stand down," an authoritative voice called out as the soldier holding up Ben and Ahsoka stepped back; a tall man, taller than Ben, with broad shoulders, brown hair with black iris', "Ahsoka! I haven't seen you in years, you look fantastic!"

Ben cringed as they shared a hug that took four seconds too long not that he was getting worked up or angry, he could calm himself he knew he could; he took a deep breath and extended his hand, "Ben Tennyson, I'm with Ahsoka."

She nodded as Lux jumped right to business, they began walking around their camp as they talked, "My men tell me you have some sort of mission here on Alderaan?"

Ben cut off their conversation as they were walking far too close to each other, he stepped between them projecting an image of Gwen, "Her name is Darth Anodyne, a Sith Lord we've been tracking for the last-"

"Are you Jedi again?" Lux asked her, cutting off Ben.

Ahsoka rubbed her arm, "It's a long story."

"I thought after what happened with Barris…"

Ben interrupted with a little more aggravation this time, "We aren't Jedi."

Lux smiled and threw his hands up, "Well, whatever the case, I'd be happy to help," he nudged Ahsoka's shoulder playfully as she giggled in response, he could sense their history, he could sense a connection between the two. Ben's eyes flashed yellow for brief moment before returning to emerald green as they stood in a circle discussing the mission.

…

**Darth Vader's Flagship**

Gwen pulled back her hood and deactivated her mask as Darth Vader stood before her, looking down on her as she bowed, "Did your training bear fruit that can be of use?"

She smiled, "Yes, my master," holding her hands out, she unleashed bolts of green-lightning on her teacher as Darth Vader ignited his crimson blade, deflecting it with one hand; the blast was brief as his plasma blade was smoking once she was done, "That and more…"

Vader twirled his saber and deactivated it, holstering it as well, "Good, I have your next target for you," he displayed an image of a man not much older than her cousin, "He is a rebel leader on the planet Alderaan named Lux Bonteri, the coordinates will be programmed onto your ship to lead you to the current imperial base secured on the planet surface."

"Is that all, master?" Gwen asked.

Darth Vader turned around, his cloak flapping behind him but, as the doors slid open for him, he turned around, "Ensure that Ahsoka Tano sees you eliminate the target, that is all," he turned the corner and left.

"As you command."

…

**Alderaan**

Ben, Ahsoka, and Lux all sat down for a meal, "After her death, I took over as leader of the resistance; I truly wished you would have stayed with me," he choked on his stew, "With the us, the group I meant."

She sighed, "So do I but, the Jedi demanded I be elsewhere," she took a spoonful of meat and broth as she stared down at her distorted reflection, "I would do a lot of things differently if I could."

Ben was silent, observing them, their micro-expressions, their body language, it was infuriating but, he stayed silent; "After you left we retook the capitol only to lose it again with the Empire took occupation, I lost many friends that day," he kicked the dirt at his feet as he stirred his soup, "What about you? Have you any interesting adventures?"

Ben was going to speak to name a few when Ahsoka stopped him, never taking her eyes off of him, "No, none that I can think," she was practically blushing, and he could tell.

"That's a shame, wouldn't want the last living Jedi getting rusty," he chuckled and shoved her lightly as he continued to eat, comradery or something more?

He knew something was wrong because she refused to correct him or bring Ben up in anyway, they weren't Jedi and Ben was a very significant force wielder who, if anything, could be a great asset to the rebellion here.

"I wouldn't say I'm getting rusty, I have a pretty good training-" she turned to finally reference her partner but, Ben was gone, no longer sitting next to her, "Partner."

Lux stopped eating for a moment, "Is something wrong? I didn't say something to offend him, did I?" He was immediately concerned but, Ahsoka consoled him placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm sure he's fine," she narrowed her eyes out into the jungle, "Maybe now that he's gone, you can explain why there's an imperial bounty on your head?"

"You didn't want to tell your friend, why is that?"

"Answer the question, Lux."

He looked down and sighed, dropping his spoon in his bowl, sitting back, "I may have set off a bomb that disabled an imperial communications unit, long enough for us to send a signal for help but, I didn't expect such a beautiful samaritan to come to my rescue."

Ahsoka blushed again at his compliment but, got back to business, "We didn't receive your message and I don't think any other worlds did either."

Lux was ashamed, he failed to gain any resistance fighters as well as boost morale, he wasn't much of a leader, "The Empire is too strong, we can't win," he said blatantly.

"Then we survive."

…

Ben walked through the forest, even with the moon-light illuminating his path, he still needed his sixth sense to accurately maneuver through trees and foliage; he approached a massive lake, so large it could be mistaken for a small ocean, as he approached the waters, he knelt down and looked into his reflection. He grabbed a smooth pebble and only used a bit of his strength to flick his wrist, sending the rock across the waters, skipping about a dozen or more times in one throw.

He reached back down for another pebble when he noticed in the waters reflection a dark figure, masked and hooded, he ducked only narrowly avoiding a swing from a bleeding lightsaber, which the attacked immediately brought down on Ben to chop him in two, however; he force pulled his hilt from his belt quickly enough to ignite his amethyst saber, the colliding lights showing the attackers identical emerald eyes.

"Gwen," she pushed him back with a kick, jumping through the air, she did a twirl which sent several strikes at her opponent Ben barely being able to keep up as she'd definitely gotten faster if anything.

"I had a target on this planet but, I figure if I kill you and the target, Lord Vader would be ecstatic," she rolled her eyes, "As ecstatic as he gets."

Ben held his saber up, "I won't let you do this! The Gwen I grew up with-"

"Is dead! I killed her myself," she shouted in anger as her eyes flashed yellow and the whites around them clouded black, "Gwen Tennyson was weak, I destroyed her, just like I'm going to destroy you," she leveled her blade at him as he widened his stance and held his blade up by his side, "What do you think you're going to do alone? There's an entire imperial base not too far from here and when they attack, we are going to decimate your friends."

"No!" Ben shouted in anger as he swung left being crossed right as their blades clashed, he attempted to parry but, she simply dropped her defense and ducked under his next swing, attempting to strike his back which but was deflected by him holding his hilt over his head behind his back, his blade deflecting hers. He swung up and turned to swing right which clashed with her as she pulled back, swinging at the opposite angle to connect again.

She broke their deadlock and swung at his head as he ducked under her, he slashed at her legs which she methodically hopped back to avoid, both of them reacting perfectly to each other's moves as if they knew what one would do before the other did it. They clashed again but, instead Ben grabbed her by her wrists using his superior strength to keep her lightsaber pointed upwards with him, "Come back to me, please, I don't want to have to kill you!"

"As if you could!" She broke their stalemate and swung her blade again.

Purple and crimson lights flashing in an otherwise darkened jungle, Ben rolled back to avoid a swing to his torso as he used this lower advantage to kick her upwards in the stomach, sending her off her feet and onto her back as he sprung upwards and landed on her, straddling her and doing his best to pin her arms down but, her eyes snapped open sending a pulse of force energy out in every direction, nearly tearing the surrounding trees from their roots. Ben was sent into the air, hitting a tree back first and dropping his saber hilt while he hit the ground on his side, groaning.

Anodyne stood, picking up her saber and igniting it at her side, she didn't hesitate to advance, twirling her blade ominously as Ben quickly recovered and ducked again, her blade cleaving through a massive tree trunk in one swing, it toppled over between them giving them time to converse.

"You've always been the smartest, kindest person I know; you can't turn into this! It's not too late to turn around and be Gwen again!"

She clutched her head as she heard the echoes of her mental programming, _"You will obey the Empire, you will forget your past, there is only enslavement, there is only compliance; You will obey the Empire, you will forget your past, there is only enslavement, there is only compliance,"_ Anodyne shouted for a moment as the programming got louder, she couldn't control it anymore.

"There is no Gwen! Only the Empire!" she fired a blast of emerald-mystic lightning at the toppled tree between them starting a massive fire which gave her cover and a head start sprinting back towards camp.

…

Ahsoka and Lux were having drinks and talking strategy on how to take back Alderaan's capitol, they laughed, they reminisce as well, she even expressed the slight crush she had on him when they first met.

"I wish I'd known," He responded to that, "I mean, with the war going on there wouldn't've been much time for it but, exploring _us_ would have been interesting," he reached his hand out, clasping hers with his, "It's not as though I think we should elope but, stay here with us, we could use your expertise and skill… and I could use you."

Ahsoka looked down at the hand he had clasped and she struggled for a moment before chuckling, "Had you given me this offer three years ago I would have jumped at the opportunity but, that's around the time I met Ben."

"I'm afraid I don't follow…"

Ahsoka smiled with a light blush, raising her scarred hand with a golden wedding band wrapped around her ring finger, "I'm afraid I'm taken."

Lux rubbed the back of his neck, running his hand through his hair, "Well, I sure do feel a fool but, it is still nice seeing a familiar face around here."

She placed a hand on his, "Of course, Lux, nothing will ever change that."

Suddenly, Ahsoka was force pushed off her feet, through a wooden crate, knocking over and shattering jars of fresh water, as she hit the tree nearly a hundred feet away; Gwen had activated her mask and flipped up her hood, reigniting her crimson blade, tightening her grip.

Lux looked back at where Ahsoka had been thrown, reaching for his blaster; half a dozen soldiers surrounded her with their rifles all pointed, primed, and ready to fire.

"Don't do it! Run!" Ben shouted at the top of his lung as he jumped from the forest but, he was too late, with a single jump and spin maneuver, Darth Anodyne decapitated all six men with one move; something Lux had only ever seen Ahsoka do once before

Three more men sprinted forwards as the women and children hid for safety; one threw a grenade which beeped rapidly as it approached its target only, halfway through the air, Gwen flicked it back at them with the force. It exploded and sent all three of them to their deaths, "This is between you and me, no one else has to die," Ben pleaded as his cousin turned to face him, deactivating her mesh mask. Two blaster shots hit her in the chest, the force was incredible, it felt like being hit with thumbtacks; Lux lowered his weapon in shock as she force pulled him into her grasp.

Anodyne held Lux by the collar of his shirt with one hand as he tried to fire a blaster shot into her head but, had his arm twisted and broken, dropping the blaster; "You're wrong, Ben, one more person _does_ have to die," she held Lux out in front of her. Ahsoka recovered, struggling to stand as she pushed over a box of supplies catching her balance, trying to support herself, as her vision cleared she saw Ben standing before Anodyne and Lux, they seemed to be in a stand off as she caught her composure.

"Don't do this, Gwen, I'm begging you!" Ben pleaded as Ahsoka was slowly taking in the gravity of the situation, "If you go down this path, I _can't_ save you…"

Lux tried to break her grip but, his strength was menial compared to hers as he groaned in pain, "I don't need to be saved, Ben, I need to be pure and that means wiping out everything that holds meaning to me except for my hate and my rage!" She reeled back and plunged her crimson saber through Lux's back as Ben could see it from his chest.

Ahsoka shouted, "NO!" her voice echoed across the camp as thunder erupted from the sky, clouds formed above them but, it hadn't started raining yet.

Gwen smiled as she kicked over Lux's lifeless body, "And one day soon, it'll be you bleeding at my feet," her eyes locked with Ben's.

Ahsoka was slightly dazed but, her anger was over powering her balance as a twinge-flicker of yellow energy flowed through her pupils; she force pulled her saber from the ground as a bright blue blade leapt into the air with her, cutting apart the tarp above them but, unfortunately she was force pushed back even harder this time. When her back hit the tree, it split the trunk in two, not unconscious but incapacitated for several seconds as she dropped her saber again.

Ben ignited his purple saber as he swung upwards, she held a downward defense as they separated and clashed over and over; the speed and ferocity was unbelievable. Ben swung right which she deflected with a vertical defense, parrying his blade away she aimed for a diagonal slash but, a horizontal guard held her back as he pushed her back towards the camp, as she pushed for just a little lee-way, enough to flip over his head, barely avoiding an upward strike.

Two sets of emerald eyes made contact, a change in their dynamic had been made fundamentally; things would never be the same and there wasn't anything they could do about it now; when he looked into her eyes, he couldn't see Gwen anymore. She sprinted off into the jungle as Ahsoka cried over the corpse of her friend, "This is your fault!" she shouted up at her fiance.

Ben was taken slightly aback as Ahsoka flashed darkened yellow iris', "She only came to this Galaxy looking for you, it was your fight; she may have struck him down but, _you_ killed him," she scowled as it quickly turned back into tears as she placed her head in his chest; the clouds boomed as it started to drizzle a bit.

One of the surviving soldiers stood, just barely, dusting off his armor; Ben approached and looked around, keeping his gaze around the camp, "If an Imperial Assassin were going to attack-"

"You mean like they just did?"

Ben closed his eyes and bit his lip, ignoring that, "Where would she go?"

The soldier sighed, "There's an Imperial Communications Unit about three-klicks north of the camps position but, it's too heavily fortified, Commander Lux had blown their line to the rest of the Empire just a few days ago, we were going to launch an attack but, now that-"

Ben stopped him, putting a hand up, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The soldier slapped his thighs, "You? How are you going to stop an entire army base of ?"soldiers by yourself?"

"By blowing off some steam," His eyes flashed bright yellow with the whites in his eyes turning blue as he walked away.

…

The facility was about the size of an average building, two stories with a massive signal tower on top, it was deactivated just like the soldier told him; Ben jumped down from a branch landing behind a wall that led to the facility entrance, barely avoiding being seen by guards; sneaking up from behind one of them, he didnt hesitate to quickly and quietly snap his neck, lowering him to the ground quietly.

He sprinted down the side of the building until he reached a corner, he could sense two guards at their positions on the other side of the corner he'd approached. He spun with accuracy elbowing one guard so hard in the helmet, it shattered on contact with the wall as he used his free hand to grab the other soldiers head and bring it down into his knee while the first soldier was dazed, busting his helmet and likely giving him a concussion. Ben proceeded to bring his knee up into the soldiers chest, cracking his body armor and tossing him into his delirious comrade knocking them both over. He grabbed their communicator and crushed it in his hand as he roundhoused the two of them at once, knocking them both out cold.

He jumped over the wall with a single leap, landing in the shadows of the corner courtyard of the facility; he slowly made his way toward the entrance when three spot-lights shun down on him at once, "Growing up with you gave me only one advantage, it made you _so_ predictable!" Gwen stepped out of the building with two men by her side, not Sith but, Inquisitors assigned to her mission. Third and Fourth Brother were skinny and bulky respectively, Third being faster and more flexible while Fourth was a hulking armored beast; Gwen pointed forwards with the point of her blade, "Kill him!"

Ben didn't say a word, he simply pulled his lightsaber out and ignited it as the amethyst energy coursed in a perfect blade, "Balance," his eyes flashed yellow and blue but, he took a deep breath widening his stance, "Balance…"

The Third and Fourth advanced, each wielding a single bladed lightsaber that bled crimson as they twirled them on approach, they assumed the numbers advantage would be more than enough to kill one opponent but, not this one as they approached from either side with intimidation; Anodyne watched, whether to see her cousins progress or for sick entertainment was anyone's guess.

Third and Fourth swung in opposite directions at the same time, one aimed for the torso and the other for the thighs but, Ben jumped horizontally perfectly spinning in midair as both blades missed, he landed by punching the ground sending a force shockwave outward knocking them both back a step or two.

Ben twirled his own blade, keeping his eyes on his opponents but, he didn't hesitate to turn and impale a stormtrooper attempting to kill him from behind; suddenly, an alarm sounded as red sirens began going off; a group of stormtroopers files out aiming their rifles at him as one by one they attacked, they'd been instructed to avoid blaster shots which can be deflected by the force or sabers.

Third Brother swung his blade in an attempt to cut Ben's head off but, he ducked instead as two juxtaposed troopers were now dead at his feet, headless; Ben back-flipped over a crowd and force pushed half a dozen of them into the Inquisitors; the larger one cleaved a man in two just for getting in his way as the other simply side-stepped the crude attempt at an attack. Third was once again the eager one as he swung downward first being blocked quickly with a horizontal guard; as Fourth came in for a swing to Ben's exposed face, the blade stopped as he used the force to freeze his weapon; suddenly, everything around them vibrated, the lightsabers were forcibly deactivated, Ben simply stared at Fourth as everyone was frozen, suddenly their armor, especially the trooper's, started bending and twisting, crushing the men beneath them as they lifted almost a foot off the ground. He swiped his hands out sending them all back, hitting trees and walls but the only one to resist was Anodyne, who simply placed a handout to cover her eyes as she stepped down from the building, or what appeared to be a building.

…

Ahsoka sat next to a cot under a tent that hadn't been destroyed, the medical unit had come out of hiding after Anodyne left and came to his aid but, it was too late, Lux had passed away. She pulled a white blanket over his face, covering him for prosperity and respect until they could give him a proper burial, "You were one of my very first friends... I don't think i'll ever forget you."

She was interrupted when a group of soldiers rushed past her with armor and rifles in arms, "What's going on?" Ahsoka asked as one of the soldiers stopped to explain.

"Something is attacking the Imperial Base, if it wipes them out we can kill it and claim it as our own!"

Suddenly, for the first time since she'd arrived, she looked around every tent, turning in three-sixty-degrees, "Where did Ben go?"

"Who?"

"He arrived with me… _He's_ the one attacking the base, order your men to stand down," he had no useful information so Ahsoka walked away, force pulling her saber from her pouch into her hand as she sprinted ahead of the soldiers, faster than most vehicles, she leapt from the ground up towards a tree branch, swinging off and landing on the fifteen foot wall between the resistance and this base; Ahsoka noticed the ensuing battle, Third and Fourth both shook off his force blast, igniting their sabers as they approached.

She was going to jump into action and defend him but, as Fourth sent a diagonal slash Ben had no problem dodging to the right leaving his midsection wide open as in one swift blow, he held the saber at his waist and spun through his close quarters, slicing through his midsection. The behemoth held his side as he stumbled forwards, Ben tripped him onto his face and brutally impaled his head with his lightsaber, slowly looking up at Third Brother as his saber deactivated.

Third was much faster, approaching with a spin-kick combo aimed at the center of his chest, the speed difference caught him off guard allowing his opponent to strike him, sending Ben onto his back as he rolled to his hands and knees. Standing up, he weaved to the left avoiding being impaled as he ignited his saber with a twirl it allowed him to back away from the battle, putting distance between them. Third came in once again, advancing with superior speed and agility only now he had a pattern to recognize as Ben had been studying his movements the entire time, the larger one wasnt hard to kill but, this much faster one would take some thinking. He ducked and weaved as each swing of his opponent's lightsaber was suddenly countered one by one.

Third vertically chopped down at the head, with the goal of bisecting Ben down the middle but, he had the corresponding parry prepared with a horizontal block; Third pulled back quickly for a right horizontal sideswipe, which Ben proceeded to effortlessly block it with another vertical defense. Third reversed his strike by swiping from the left but, Ben leaped over him and swiped his saber across his neck, decapitating him.

Ben and Gwen stared into each other's eyes, the memories they'd shared both good and bad, the summer they spent saving the Universe, buried in the darkness of the underwater mud on Ajan Kloss, what was left of them were two opposing forces, an immovable object and an unstoppable force; Anodyne used her new found powers to fire bolts of green force lightning which Ben countered with his lightsaber, the sheer pressure pushing his boots through the dirt, this mystic lightning was far more powerful than what he could generate himself as he was nearly defeated.

Ahsoka took this moment to leap in, over the lightning with her increased agility and landing on the steps leading to the facility, igniting a blue lightsaber and widening her stance, "Murderer!"

"Deserter!" Gwen shouted back as crimson met blue flashes of light as the lightning attack ceased Ben was freed and watched while Ahsoka took out her anger on a less experienced opponent. Using a horizontal slash, Ahsoka blocked using her reverse grip facing the blade downward before flipping it upward and side-kicking Gwen in the stomach, sending her into the side of the building, "Abort!" she shouted into her wrist which obviously had some communication device strapped to it. The entire building suddenly shook violently as it uprooted itself from the ground.

Anodyne force pulled her lightsaber back into her hands, activating the crimson blade microseconds before being cut down as her guard kept the red and blue deadlock inches from her nose; Ahsoka's tears trailed down her cheeks and onto Gwen's face, "I swear I'll kill you!"

"No," Gwen muttered, "You won't, you're too weak!"

The entire building shook vigorously, lifting off the ground slowly, as it sprouted wings and flaps that appeared for maintained aerial flight; Gwen force pushed Ahsoka and Ben off the steps which crumbled as the ship lifted off the ground. She took one last look down at her cousin, knowing deep in her heart that nothing would ever be the same but, this was her mission. And there wasn't anything but, the mission. Darth Anodyne turned away without looking back, Gwen Tennyson was officially dead.

…

After the adrenaline pumping through her veins died down and the ship had left their sight, Ahsoka practically fell into Ben's arms crying, clutching his cloak as he watched it jump into hyperspace; she sniffled, wiping a tear, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, I was just so angry…"

"You were right," Ben muttered as he couldn't take his eyes off the alien atmosphere, there was a massive planet only a few million miles away, so clearly visible in the skyline, "I killed Lux with my obsession with Gwen…" he had never seen such a bitter-sweet view in his life, a gorgeous view on a tragic day.

Ahsoka shook her head, "No, don't say that."

"No, I finally agree with you," Ben responded as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his saber, "I have to take her down… for good."

…

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	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

If you're wondering about the title change, refer to chapter 1's author note, the parallels should be pretty obvious after this chapter.

**Five Days Later**

**Alderaan**

After they laid Lux to rest in their camp, second in command took his place and things seemed to run about the same as they did before for the military unit; the only difference was he wasn't there, Ahsoka could feel the grief eating her alive and the guilt of being so caught up in someone who wasn't even her fiancé that she let Gwen take her off guard. How could she let that happen? She initially lashed out at Ben and then at Gwen but, after the first few days the only person she felt she could blame was herself.

This wasn't her first bout with guilt after discovering the identity under the mask of Darth Vader, it shook her to her very core, and nothing helped no matter how hard she focused on balance. A side of her she didn't know she had almost came out of her, killing out of vengeance and rage wasn't the Jedi way but, she keeps telling herself she's not a _Jedi_ so, what was she? Her mind raced but, she could hardly get out of her bunk even as Ben packed their ship and prepped it to leave the planet.

Ben didn't have the strength to chase Gwen, not right now, he needed time to process what had happened too; his own flesh and blood trying to murder him and killing an innocent man, what they did to her, it broke his heart. How could he let this happen, if he'd been more vigilant, if he'd seen the signs sooner or taught her more about the force before she learned it from _him_.

Fully geared up lacking only his torso armor, Ben lifted two large sacks of rations given to him by the people of the unit on his back, claiming he'd saved them from a Sith attack and took out an Imperial Base. He couldn't have felt more guilty taking the gifts but, what could he say? Now the guilt of being the cause of so much pain was eating him alive even more-so than the fundamental change he's gone through, he murdered dozens of men in cold blood without even thinking twice about it.

He walked into the ship and noticed Ahsoka still in their bunk, curled up in a ball halfway under a blanket facing the wall away from him, she didn't speak or eat much in the days following the attack but, she at least started getting her appetite back recently. Ben passed her as he unstrapped his lightsaber and put it down on sink in the bathroom, looking up into the mirror. He didn't even realize it was his birthday last month, it just dawned on him that amongst everything that was happening that he'd turned eighteen years old. It was supposed to be a coming of age ritual on Earth but, the more of the Universe he saw the less it meant to him and now, he didn't feel any different at all.

The face he saw in the mirror was an unfamiliar one, something he'd be scared to see approaching him if he were an innocent stranger, his beard was thin, and he had two small scars running down his left cheek he'd gotten from Gwen along his travels. Whether a growth spurt or the force working its mysterious ways, he'd sprouted several inches in height and bulked up severely thanks to his training but, looking beyond that he noticed the scars he wore across his chest and back as well.

He gripped the ends of the steel sink, looking into his own eyes in the reflection as if waiting for something to jump out and scare him but, the only scary thing in the mirror was himself. Ben hadn't noticed that as he'd been staring into the mirror his brute strength twisted the sinks edge, warping fingerprints into the metal, seconds away from tearing it out of the wall.

He gasped and focused on his breathing, everything was about breathing but, it only got worse as he stepped back, he knocked his lightsaber onto the ground and as it clattered, it startled him a bit. He sighed and reached down, picking it up but, when he looked back up into the mirror with the saber in hand, a glowing blue humanoid figure with a bright flaming skull stared back at him. Ben dropped his hilt again, this time quickly jabbing the mirror with his eyes closed, shattering it but, it thankfully stayed bolted on the wall. He looked down at his hands and his skin was fine, he wasn't in his Anodite form and he wasn't on fire, but his knuckles were bleeding as he slowly drew his eyes back up to the mirror.

Now he recognized the person in the reflection, the man staring back at Ben with fractured cracks running through him and blood stains dripping down the edge.

He turned as he saw a figure in his periphery, tears welled in his eyes, "Ya know, my cousin and I share a birthday…" Ahsoka stood in the doorway, having heard the commotion, he hadn't noticed her until after he'd broken the mirror, "We used to fight about who got to celebrate which part first, eating cake and opening gifts," she tried approaching but he backed away as the tears came out, dripping down his chin, "Now I would give her every birthday I ever had left if she just hugged me one last time," he looked back into the mirror, was he man or monster, "And now I have to be the one to kill her."

Ahsoka couldn't be much stronger, "I can't imagine what you're going through but, I do know what grief and guilt feel like and," she slowly approached this time, grabbing his hand and bringing it over to the sink which, thankfully, hadn't been broken, "I know that when the Jedi felt clouded by dangerous emotions, they meditated and trained to hone them."

Ben didn't even flinch as she pulled shards of glass from his knuckles, watching as the crimson blood spiraled down the drain, "_Dangerous_ emotions? And I thought controlling our emotions is what we've been doing for almost two years now."

Ahsoka looked up into his eyes, still holding his hand under the cool water, "I've been showing you how to focus the emotions you already had; new trauma leads to new emotions," she grabbed a towel and shut off the water, cleaning his hand, "Pain can lead to fear, fear can lead to hate," she helped strip him of his armor and ran the shower as the steam poured out, covering the mirror and his cracked reflection, "Hate can lead to suffering; fear is a path to the dark side and when you reach the fork in that path you need to make a decision."

Ahsoka stripped what she was wearing and stepped into the shower with him, neither were in the right state of mind to enjoy a moment like this so the hot water just poured down his back as she pulled him in from behind, massaging his shoulders slowly, he looked down to his feet as sweat and dirt traveled down his legs; the refreshing feeling and his love's sweet touch relieved him of the severe anxiety attack he was just having, "Aggression, fear, and anger are conduits of the dark-side; they come quickly, they flow easily," she pressed down on a few pressure points that alleviated stress and tension around his upper back, "But, we both know that it can consume you, twist you, turn you into something you're not," Ahsoka turned him around and pulled his chin up, meeting turquoise with emerald as the water rushed down on them from above, trickling down their faces.

She reached out and placed a hand on his chest, where he'd given himself the scar across his upper torso on Illum fighting for his crystal, "You have some strange gift, or curse… you have _something_ inside of you that lets you dip into the darkness without being consumed."

"Of course I do," he noted as his eyes broke from her gaze, turning back around and letting his hair absorb the moisture, letting the grease and sweat drip away, "I'm Ben Tennyson, I can do anything," he said reluctantly and sarcastically, running his hands through his hair with his eyes closed, facing up into the water.

Ahsoka pulled him back and switched places with him, letting the water hit her montrals and run down her head-tails was more than just refreshing; her hands slid down her chest and over her sides as she continued, "I don't know what it is that makes you so special, I thought at first it was your Anodite powers but, you said your cousin has the same bloodline as you."

"I must be lucky," he muttered as he watched the water drip down his nose as, starring at the floor, until he heard his fiancé clear her throat.

"Ahem," she flexed her back a bit, gesturing for him to massage her the way she had done for him; they'd done it quite often and it had become all but natural for the couple. As he reached out and gripped her supple skin, he started working out knots in her back that were tighter than Grandpa Max's old tuxedo, he shook that memory before it shook him.

"When our Grandmother told us about our heritage, she told us that being born with something called a spark lets us utilize this Anodite power easily," he lowered his hands, pushing in on her spine as her head leaned back, getting sprayed with hot water over her face, "What if having the spark makes it easy to be an Anodite over there but not over here?"

Ahsoka's eyes snapped open as she remembered something from a mission she'd taken years ago with Obi-Wan and Anakin; a place outside of synch with time and space, beings made almost entirely of energy, one of light and one of darkness, where did this memory come from? It was a bit random, but she spun around quickly anyways, "What if it goes deeper than that? With or without the spark your connection to the force was extraordinary, I could tell but, what if not having it is the reason you can control it so well _here _and she can't?"

Ben looked up, that actually made a lot of sense, "I've never been as strong as my cousin, not really, she proved that the other day… you think having the spark is what made her power hungry enough to-" he didn't want to finish where that question led, his failure to keep his cousin from the dark.

Ahsoka shrugged as she turned off the water, "It explains more than most things lately but, it doesn't solve our problem," Ben was almost off put by standing around naked in front of a woman but, he'd gotten so used to it that he'd barely noticed at this point.

"I think we need answers…" Ben muttered as he grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and stepped out as she watched him walk out with a short but, coy smile, "We need to find somewhere with a strong connection to the force, somewhere we can meditate without any… noise."

She followed his example and grabbed a towel to dry herself off, "I can set us a course for one of the Jedi Temples; I think we both have some things we need to work out," Ahsoka said firmly.

The next day they finished packing their belongings and apologized to the military unit and locals for the trouble they caused but, received nothing but gratitude which they only shared strained expressions of guilt over. Taking off and jumping into a hyperspace lane was easy as they were incredibly deep in the core systems, "Where should we go?" Ben asked as he sat in the passenger seat next to Ahsoka, watching the speed of light warp the stars visually as they jumped across the galaxy, landing in empty space between two planets, they figured this was as good a place as any to decide on what path to take.

"I'm not sure… there are so many historical places we could visit or temples we can meditate in," Ahsoka looked over her navigational gear but, something was odd with the readings, "That's weird, my radar isn't picking up anything… maybe there's a loose wire? It was all there a second ago," she ducked under the console as she started troubleshooting the problem the only way she knew how.

Ben turned his head and looked up, out into the void as all the stars had completely disappeared, the planets they were traveling between as well; "Huh," he sat back in awe and looked around, "I don't think it's a mechanical issue…"

"Why do you say-" she pulled herself out from under the dashboard as her eyes widened, she'd actually never seen space without at least a single star somewhere in sight or at least the lights of the hyperspace lanes but, just nothing? Suddenly, her radar went off, sounding a proximity alarm as a mere blink was enough to miss the massive planetoid, roughly the size of Earth's moon, appearing in front of them, "Shit!"

Ahsoka turned to the controls, switched to manual, and tightly gripped two thick joy-sticks extending from the control panel, pulling up; Ben braced himself as they passed through the clouds without burning up in reentry at all, whether there was a scientific explanation for that or not was completely forgotten when they crash landed, ruining their locking and landing gear as well damaging several other parts of the internal workings of their ship, they were lucky they had a master mechanic as their pilot.

She sat back with a loud sigh of relief, putting a hand over her chest with a smile, "Any landing you can walk away from, right?"

Ben responded by trying not to puke into his mouth by covering his lips, as they turned their attention to the location to which they crashed, they realized it was certainly a spectacle.

**Mortis**

Luminous creatures made of ethereal blue energy moved about lush fields, green mountains, and stunning vistas. Dense forests, molten caverns, and massive floating mountains above the surface were among some of the different biospheres, the light had a healing quality and a powerful sense of energy, though it came from no star.

Ben and Ahsoka stepped out of the cockpit as she caught her balance and opened their landing hatch, which hardly opened at all as she opted to kick it off entirely while it took too long; he folded his arms, "Was that necessary?"

"I'll fix it," she said frustratedly as she hopped out and looked around in awe, it was just as beautiful as she remembered it and she _barely_ remembered it at all, she was only sixteen years old at the time but, she could feel the energy that flowed freely through this place, it was certainly familiar, "I've been here before…" she muttered as she approached a glowing tree that was completely transparent, waving her hand through it.

Ben glanced around as Ahsoka tried to remember as much about the planet as she could, "I don't see a sun but, there's clearly sunlight…" he trailed off as he caught sight of the massive towering castle in the distance, thundering clouds surrounded it as lightning even struck rapidly around it at such a rate he could see it from miles away, "That place," he muttered as he could feel himself being drawn to it, the energy of this entire planet, no… this realm, it all converged there, "We have to go to that castle."

Ahsoka turned around, taking notice of it immediately, "I told you I've been here… the monastery is empty, the residents are all dead; this place is dangerous, and the weather can change rapidly, we have to-"

Ben took a step or two forwards, grabbing one of her hands and looking back into her eyes, "Actually, you should stay here and fix the ship, I'll go to the monastery myself to check it out while I wait," he looked back at the building with a blue tint in his eyes, "Please, I need to do this."

Ahsoka raised a pigmented brow and exhaled, "If it will give you the closure you need, then I guess go for it," Ben smiled and wrapped a hand around her cheek, brushing a finger against the white marking as he came in close and their lips brushed together lightly, Ahsoka put a hand on his arm as they separated, "Just don't die on me, okay?"

"I'll do my best," he gave her his best confident smile with a wink as he walked back into the ship, gearing up with armor and strapping his lightsaber to his belt, he stepped back out and she watched him walk off, waving to him. The last time she was there they had speeders so, it was a tad odd to watch him walk away anti-climactically but, she needed to do several repairs to different parts of the ship so he had plenty of time, which if she remembered, worked a bit strangely in this place. Ahsoka felt like she should have been worried, like she was forgetting some awful tragedy that occurred here, specifically to her but, it was fogged over the minute they left the place all those years ago.

She held her head for a moment, remembering everything up until the Brother, darkness incarnate, corrupted her into fighting her former master but, she only knew that because that's what she was told by Obi-Wan. She remembered he touched her forehead and she blacked out, waking up surrounded by a family of corpses, that must be the source of her uneasy feeling.

"Ahsoka!"

She turned and swung at the voice of her master with the wrench she'd just picked up to attack but, there was nothing there, she was still alone; she shook her head and gave herself a pat on the chest, "Oh, boy, this is going to get weird, I can tell."

…

They had crashed only a short walk from the castle, he couldn't really tell as he felt as though the entire area was constantly shifting around him but, the one constant was the monastery ahead; as he came closer he noticed a stone path leading up to the front courtyard, it was quite the long path but, he could see the whole way and he'd already come this far.

As Ben walked, he looked around at the creatures flying far above him, screeching as they soared through the clouds; the grass was greener than Alderaan or Yavin 4, it was lush but, not damp as if he could sleep on it if he wanted. He was staring up at the clouds when he didn't notice something in his way, shocking him as he hopped back and ignited his lightsaber, the purple glow illuminated over a familiar face.

"What's wrong, Tennyson? You look like you've seen a ghost," a man a year or two older than him in a black shirt with a long-sleeved undershirt stood in his path as Ben took deep breaths and shook his head.

"You aren't real, are you?"

Kevin folded his arms across his chest, "Depends on how you define real."

"Yea, Kevin would never say anything that smart," Ben walked right through him, deactivating his saber and continuing up the trail.

The apparition turned around and followed slowly behind him, "Maybe but, I know he would say that you shouldn't be feelin' so guilty about everything that's happening to Gwen."

Ben stopped in his tracks and turned around, jabbing his finger in the ghost's face, "_You_ are part of the reason I feel so guilty in the first place!"

"How's that my fault?!"

Ben grabbed his hair and shook his head turning around, "This isn't real but, I'll humor you," he spun back around to face the ghost of his own past, "I know that you and everyone at home would be trusting me with Gwen if she did something like fall through a portal to another Galaxy," he chuckled but, his expression shifted as a tear welled up in his right eye, "I was her _only_ life line she had when she came here to rescue _me_. Then I felt it, she would bring death and destruction at the end of everything I ever loved and for a brief moment I thought I could stop it, I thought I could isolate her."

"Didn't work out, did it?" Kevin took a step forwards as Ben lowered his head.

"I was left with guilt… shame, I was unwise, If I had told her more about what she was dealing with sooner, I could have prevented all of this," Ben spun around with his hands out referring to the entire situation that was taking place starting from Vader's ship to Lux's death running all the way through this very moment.

It was silent for a moment but, Kevin's force ghost chuckled, "When you were just a stupid kid, you were a selfish brat who only cared about himself, how ironic is it that you'd get post-traumatic stress from failing others?"

Ben turned around and kept walking, strapping his lightsaber to his belt, "What the hell are you talking about? I'm the one-" as he turned back around to prove a point, he looked around at the path and then the vast fields and noticed he was alone again, "I hate this stupid place," he stomped onward towards the monastery but, he stopped suddenly in his tracks, turning toward small stone tomb with exotic designs carved into it and stone steps without any erosion formed leading up to it. He felt another pull to the force, tugging him along as his eyes tinted light blue, he strolled up the steps slowly until he reached the top.

The door was clearly sealed by a perfectly cut, round, stone slab too heavy for any normal person to move alone, but with a gesture of his hands, it didn't take too much strength to wheel the doorway open. The room was mostly empty aside from drifting dust and a stone slab that covered a shallowed crave in the middle of the floor.

When he entered the room, there was already a man standing in wait for him passively or perhaps he appeared the moment the door was opened but, either way Ben didn't feel threatened enough to draw his weapon spite the man's size.

"Who are you?"

The man stepped into the menial light that shined in from the glass ceiling that shimmered a design over the grave-sight; he was incredibly tall with a long white beard dressed in blue robes with glowing teal eyes, "I am the Father."

"What is this place?" He asked as he took a step forward.

Father looked down at the stone tablet, "This is the sight of my daughters grave…"

"Sorry to hear that _but_, I meant this planet, wherever all of this is?"

"We are on Mortis, it does not exist in the known Universe, I have used what little power I have left to bring you here and manifest myself," he spoke with his hands tucked into his sleeves, possibly holding a weapon or maybe he was just being too paranoid, either way he kept on guard for the moment.

Ben chuckled, "Outside of the Universe…" he'd been to a lot of places but, this was ridiculous and possibly beyond his scope but, questioning that would get him nowhere so he took a different line of questioning, "I'll bite, what did you bring _me_ here for?"

"Have you not yet _felt_ the power that surges within you, it drew you to this temple, it drew you to this grave, can you not see the connections?" The Father walked around the grave, using the force to slide it open but, Ben expected to see a rotting skeletal corpse but, instead he witnessed something he'd never seen before. The Daughter was perfectly preserved, her skin was glowing white and her hair was bright vibrant green like the grass leading up the path; her arms were crossed over her stomach but, she was totally unaffected by decay proving to be some sort of abnormality, "When did she die?"

"Four years ago," he answered to Ben's shock.

He looked back down at her and couldn't help but notice how stunning she was, as if she was created to be heaven-sent, he was a settled man but, it was more like the beauty of a piece of art, beautiful in a special way, "Who is she? Other than your daughter."

"She was a member of my family which were all born with extraordinary abilities, abilities the likes of which no creature in this Galaxy has ever held, aside from the chosen one and the two," he muttered as he walked behind Ben and led him out of the temple, continuing to talk, "You and the cousin who followed you here have unique properties that were foretold to me millennia ago, a conflict between siblings that shook the fabric of the Galaxy."

"I hope you don't mean literally, even an Anodite is not _that_ powerful."

He nodded in response, "Perhaps not, but consider that a simple Anodite, you are not; you and your twin cousin share the same DNA but, the force transcends science."

They walked side by side down the steps that led to the Daughter's grave, "Your unique connection to the mana, the life force of the Universe, has crossed hairs with the deaths of my family."

Ben looked up at him as his eyes were the same bright blue that his would glow when he tapped into the energy of his Anodite side, "What the does that mean?"

"Mortis does not follow time linearly, when my son and daughter died, they were reincarnated as you two, represented in your individual meta-physical forms," Ben still didn't understand even though the Father was detailed about it, "They passed on into energy which passed on into you."

"Meta-physical? I'm still not following," the Father turned to Ben and looked down at him; quickly striking him once in the chest with his palm sent him back but, not just onto the ground. He floated backwards out of his body, in a form of pure blue flaming energy identical to his Anodite form, **"Woah!**" his voice echoed

"You and your cousin are fated to duel where one of you will slay the other, I have foreseen it; for there to be balance, this must happen," Father spoke up as Ben floated around and landed next to him, not ever having such control over such a specific powerful form. You both are incredibly powerful force wielders, but Gwendolyn possess something you do not," Father used her full name, furthering his evidence on the in depth knowledge he had to offer, "A spark that allows the dark side to drag her down just as the light pulled you up; without it you can maintain control safely however…"

**"Gwen can't control the power, the spark is too much,"** Ben lowered his flaming head, looking down to his glowing feet, he found himself looking down an awful lot lately, **"I should have known, I should have helped her, if-"**

"Your destinies for the timeline in which we currently reside was always to follow a path here, for her to follow you, and for a battle to one day transpire that will re-institute balance," Father turned to him as Ben looked back up, both of their eyes glowing the same color, "You could never have been to blame for something that was bound to happen for thousands of years."

Ben turned around and looked back at his collapsed body, realizing he was on an ethereal plane now, **"If our battle will restore balance, what about the Empire and Darth Vader?"**

The Father was silent for a moment, as he smiled for the very first time, "That story has a different path to take, yours is still ahead of you, waiting now back from where you came, your connection with your cousin isn't the only important one."

Father faded out of existence, his body flowing like dust in the wind, vanishing as Ben was suddenly sucked back into his body, waking up with a gasp and sitting up, "I was right, I can sleep on this grass," he patted the ground as he sat up, "A reincarnation of an ancient energy being bound to the force by alien heritage, that was my second or third guess…" he stood and turned back toward the ship, they needed to leave.

…

**Two Hours Ago**

Ahsoka hopped back on the ship as Ben walked away towards the monastery; heading toward the back of the ship with her tool bag over her shoulder, she popped open a hatch and looked over a panel of wires, switches and pipes; looking it over, she took a service ladder down to the cargo hold where the damage was likely the most severe. She planted her feet on the ground and dropped her bag, looking around as the light flickered on for her; she noticed a few busted pipes and some torn wires, nothing that couldn't be fixed in time.

She grabbed a wrench and some pliers and started working; pulling things apart and putting them back together is what she did before the Jedi conscripted her, she studied droid maintenance in the academy, she learned tons about ships and other vehicle maintenance during the Clone Wars too. Ahsoka saw the problem and knew how to fix it but, was only hitting a snag about an hour into the repair, the frustration must have sparked something in the force.

"Ahsoka!" She heard Anakin's voice again, at this point she'd lowered under a metal bar to tighten a latch so standing suddenly caused her to hit her head on a pipe, knocking her back down onto her rear.

Still nobody around, she huffed, "Fine! You wanna do this? Let's do this!" Ahsoka folded her legs on the ground, placed her fists together out in front of her chest, and took long deep breaths; inhaling and exhaling rhythmically slowly lulled her into trance where she could focus on the force spirit calling out to her.

She kept her eyes closed but, heard the voice, "Ahsoka!" this time she didn't jump, her eyes simply tightened a bit, "Ahsoka, why did you leave?" the voice said calmly this time as her eyes opened, looking around but, noticing an apparition behind her and refusing to look.

She didn't answer as he continued, floating closer in a cloud of white smoke, "Where were you when I needed you?"

Ahsoka choked, "I-I made a choice, I couldn't stay…"

The spirit lashed out, or perhaps it was her own insecurity lashing out in the form of guilt, "You were selfish!"

He said louder as she responded, closing her eyes again to keep tears from flowing, "No…"

"You failed me!" He shouted as suddenly the tone changed and the white smoke turned crimson red, still refusing to look behind her, "Do you _know_ what I've become?" the ominous respirator of Vader's mask echoed through the cargo-hold.

"No…" she muttered as tears uncontrollably swept down her cheeks, "NO!" Shouting as she spun, a bright blue saber swung centimeters from the work she'd just completed moments ago, she only had a few steps left and destroying it would set them back days; she fell to her knees and deactivated the saber, taking deep breaths as her chest heaved.

Her tears cascaded down her face and dropped onto the cold metal as she still couldn't accept her master turning to the side of total inhumanity, Darth Vader wasn't just evil he was a monster and it broke her heart to know that she could have stopped Palpatine from turning him had she been less focused on herself.

"I was unwise… I failed…"

"Hear this, a lot, I do," a high-pitched voice echoed from behind her as she turned not shocked but, happily surprised by a green two-foot tall alien, "Failed, you have, unwise, you were."

"Master Yoda?!" Ahsoka nearly shouted as the old master hobbled over and somehow physically sat on a crate, inviting her to sit with him, "You disappeared, I thought you were dead!"

"Gone into exile, I have; a secret my location must be kept," Yoda responded as he held his cane and looked around, "Long I trained to master these abilities, freely the force flows here, so speak to a troubled student, can I."

"Thank you, Master," she bowed her head a bit out of respect but, looked away not knowing what to ask, "You offered me an invitation back into the Jedi Order after the trial, was I wrong for not taking it?"

"Meets their destiny, one does, on the path taken to avoid it," he turned to her, "Changed the outcome would not have, with or without your absence."

"More importantly, can I keep Ben from falling the same way?" Ahsoka folded her hands in her lap as she did when she was a youngling, something Yoda found a bit funny as he chuckled, "His cousin is so much like him and she fell just as far as Anakin has!"

"With the dark-side Young Tennyson struggles but, even in Skywalker never such light have I felt in one person," Yoda scratched his chin, "Interesting to see, this outcome will be."

"That's all you have to say, you don't have any techniques or-or…"

"Troubled you are by your guilt, let go of the past you must and embrace the here and now; in the future Skywalker spent his time, looking to the horizon and never here," he stomped his cane on the metal, startling Ahsoka as she looked up, "Now, in the present."

"Embrace the present…" She repeated as she looked down at Yoda once again, "Thank you, Master, I hope to one day see you again."

"And I, you."

"May the force be with you, master," she smiled and bowed once again as he bowed in return this time, fading away again; leaving her alone in the room with her tools and a lot to think about.

She spent another thirty minutes clearing her mind and fixing the final components of the ship that were vital for take off and landing; they could find more permanent repairs with the credits they never got to use on Hondo, especially with the rations the townsfolk gave them, it was only another twenty or so minutes before she heard the door she'd fixed reopen.

Ben entered the ship and looked around, finding Ahsoka sitting in the pilot seat, staring out at the sunset as it had just begun to turn nightfall; he approached from behind and put his hands on her shoulders, she reached her hand up with a smile as their wedding bands touched.

"How did it go?" She was the first to ask as he reached down and wrapped his arms around her neck gently, placing his right cheek against her left.

"Turns out, I'm the reincarnation of a powerful light wielding force user whose spirit got tangled in my alien DNA at birth," after he said this, she was silent, leaving him to slowly pull back and take a seat next to her, leaning back to look at the ceiling for a moment.

"Wow…"

Ben chuckled, "I know right," he looked back out at the glorious view of the sun peaking over the mountains with foreign animals flying in the distant skies through lush clouds and passed glistening waterfalls, "Still not as crazy as that view."

Ahsoka shook away every thought she had about the distant future, Was Anakin really Vader? Was it her fault? Could she stop it now? Was Ben going to fall like his cousin? It didn't matter, it was healthier to reach over and grab his hand, looking back out at the sunset, she had to admit, living in the moment felt _pretty_ great.

…

Review! It feds my obsession!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I down own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

Short Chapter

**Pasaana**

**6 Months Later **

"Are you sure about this?" Ahsoka announced, folding her arms as she stood thirty feet apart from Ben unarmed; they stood atop a solid plateau protruding up from a vast desert, this flattened surface was just big enough for a group of six or more large boulders which Ahsoka stood in the middle of.

Ben was without his lightsaber and armor, obviously having trained extensively as his entire physique had filled out even more as he grew in age, he was in the best shape of his life but, it wasn't just about his physical form. Ahsoka lifted a single of the boulders, each taller and wider than herself, up above her head with the force, "Ready?"

Ben clapped his hands together, rubbing them as if for warmth and generating sparks of turquoise electricity, "Yea, yea," he pounded on his chest to pump up his adrenaline, "Hit me!" he shouted.

She only muttered under her breath, "If you say so…" she gestured forwards and sent the boulder over at Ben at high speeds, almost as fast as a professional baseball pitcher, only he intercepted it with a large blue energy-construct in the shape of a flat platform, transparent like glass.

Ben didn't break a sweat slowly layering his right hand with mana, as his skin was overshadowed by blue energy from the tips of his fingers to just under his elbow, he reeled back and pounded the shield, shattering it and the boulder she'd thrown sending rubble flying across the plateau. His eyes were tinted blue like Gwen's would tint black but, the sinister-yellow energy of the dark side never flooded his iris through out the entire training exercise, he was totally balanced as all things should be.

Ahsoka lifted two more boulders and sent them both flying at him simultaneously; Ben force jumped into the air as turquoise lightning surged across his body spontaneously, he used mana in ways Gwen had never dreamed of surging it through his veins and across his body allowing him to move at super speeds where time slowed down for him from his perspective. He leapt from one boulder to the next, back flipping over them as time resumed normally while he landed with the projectiles hitting the ground behind him. Ben could only use his speed in short bursts but, it could be quite useful; he wiped his brow of sweat as Ahsoka took a step forwards with concern. She could barely see him move, as all she picked up was a blur ricocheting from one boulder to the next, it was unbelievable how powerful he was.

"Do you need a break?" She shouted with her hands cupped around her lips to throw her voice further; even though he was gaining more control over the vast power that dwelled within him, he still had his clear limits and he knew them well.

"No! Let's keep going!" he responded by stretching his arms individually as the blue energy seeped back from under his skin around his arms; Ahsoka nodded and lifted another boulder up, closing her eyes to get a better shot with her aim. Thrusting her palms forwards, the large rock flew at Ben with tremendous speed but, it slowed down from his perspective as the sparks of energy crossed his entire body, he layered his right arm in mana energy, landing on the boulder which moved at a snails pace in his eyes. He dug his glowing blue fingers into the rock, and ceased his super speed focusing all of his energy on the strength needed to pull the rock overhead and back at Ahsoka with its own momentum, albeit, much slower.

She quickly pulled out her sabers and diced the boulder in two on approach; Ahsoka sported twin bright blue energy blades that connected at the hilt to combine into a single dual bladed lightsaber, not fond of the concept but, trying her best to prepare Ben for anything and upgrading her arsenal, she still effortlessly mastered the weapon to a degree she's say even Darth Maul doesn't contend with.

Ben landed on his feet and spread them into a fighting stance, he huffed and held his hand out, gesturing for Ahsoka to attack him with one hand while setting up a defensive position with his other; right now, his only real abilities was distorting his perception of time, strengthening parts of his body, and creating small shields or platforms that could even deflect blaster bolts. He still needed to learn to utilize those abilities usefully in combat and so he'd spent the last six months doing exactly that.

She sprinted forwards as Ben's eyes flashed bright blue, sending sparks across his skin again, sweat started trickling down his chin; Ahsoka began her assault with a vertical downward strike which he sidestepped and ducked back under the consecutive horizontal slash that followed, he placed his hands on the ground and used the leverage to sweep her off her feet with swipe of his legs.

Even with his enhanced speed, Ahsoka caught him by predicting this and lifting one of her feet, stomping down on his ankle just hard enough to keep him from moving as she reluctantly went in for the kill, thrusting down to impale him with her saber. She was too nervous to look, even if it was by his own instruction, when she finally did she realized that he stopped her blade with a platform of blue mana energy, it was smoking and the platform was burning through but, it was stopping her saber successfully.

Ahsoka exhaled with relief, pulling her lightsaber away and stepping back, the mana platform had signs of burning and was partly melted through, it wasn't a perfect defense but, in a quick paced fight? She helped him to his feet as he took a step back and got back into a fighting stance, "Come on, one more time," She sighed and smiled slightly, his tenacity was charming at times, one of the reasons she loved him so much.

Ahsoka held the hilts of her sabers with a reverse grip, holding it out horizontally to show Ben as she connected them at the ends, twisting to engage the lock, and twirled the staff in front of her before assuming a more unorthodox position. In combat, your mind tries to keep track of each blade separately, effectively doubling the number of possibilities. Ahsoka had never trained with two blades that are connected until the recent months: by knowing the location of one, she was automatically aware of the location of the other. In actual practice, the double-bladed lightsaber is more limited than the traditional saber. It can do more damage, but it is less precise. It requires longer, sweeping movements that don't transition well into a quick stab or thrust attacks.

Having dual blades was a tad more cumbersome but, it gave Ahsoka more options and allowed her to refine her training; In addition to the practical benefits of the weapon, it also possessed a great psychological impact. The dual blades increased the visual impact of the weapon, and in combat, opponents would intuitively try to track the flashing blades separately rather than as a single weapon, overwhelming them.

Ben, however; had been training to recognize this weakness in the weapon and avoid it, turning her hips left she left she swung first as a mana shield appeared just in time to stop it as he was starting to learn how to summon them with a mere thought like an extension of himself; she turned and swung again from the right, this time he back flipping over it and landed on his feet as he backed away, she came after him with a flurry of rapid swings, each one connecting with a shield, over and over, "Stop _trying_ to hit me and hit me!" he shouted.

Ahsoka's brow furrowed as she disconnected her sabers and leaped into the air, landing behind Ben all in one motion, deciding to use her superior agility to her advantage which was better when wielding two sabers instead of one. Swinging with a downward right that Ben stepped back to avoid but, needed a platform for the slice that came close to his face as she spun through the air seconds later, keeping his face in tact, neither lost their stride.

She landed with a roll attempting to sweep across his feet, effectively chopping them off had he not jumped just two feet up to avoid the strike, using a platform as a spring board that he propelled himself off of to right cross Ahsoka in the chin sending her onto her back. She recovered as quickly as possible, leaning back on her palms so she could hop to her feet and swung down with her sabers but, a bright blue light shun off her face as he caught both blades with two mana layered energy hands, cackling with blue sparks of electricity, his palm smoked but he only smiled as he used the force to deactivate her sabers forcibly, a very advanced force ability, before returning his arms to normal slowly. He took a deep breath, centering himself as the blue from his eyes faded slowly and the sparks dissipated completely.

Ahsoka smiled as she stepped back, "I'd say you've got a pretty good handle on your abilities now! See? Hard work does pay off," she approached as they shared a long-awaited kiss, not separating until Ben pulled away.

"After training with _you_ for half a year, I'm not really surprised…" he held her by the waist, looking down into her eyes, "You've been quite the touch teacher."

Ahsoka smiled putting a hand on his chest and meeting his gaze, "Speaking of which, as your teacher, I don't think i have anything left to teach you..."

"Really?"

She giggled, "You've got abilities I've never even seen before, beyond that you're an impressive duelist and force wielder, you can take on any threat that comes your way now, I'm confident of that."

This made him smile but, only briefly as Ben looked away, "The whole point of mastering these abilities was so that I could control who I hurt," he exhaled and took a step back, wiping the sweat from his chin, "So I could be sure I didn't hurt anyone else."

"Hey, I could always sell your lightsaber for credits..."

He chuckled, "Very funny," standing up and looking out at the horizon of the massive desert planet, "I'm serious though, I love my powers and the connection I have with the force but, I don't want to hurt people anymore..."

Ahsoka gave him a solemn expression, placing her hands on his shoulders from behind, "Why don't we put our search for your cousin on hold?" She suggested, "We could go to that spot on Naboo, beautiful greenery, plenty of time to ourselves? We can have the ceremony?"

Ben smiled, "Father said that no matter what I did, Gwen and I would meet and fight one day; I don't need _or want_ to rush that so, yea! Let's go to Naboo!"

"Ah, ah, ah..." She gave him a coy smile, turning around allowing her to sway her hips a bit in his direction, "You have one thing left to master..."

"If you complete the rest of your training today before sunset, I'll let _you_… teach _me_ a lesson tonight?" Ben watched as she grazed her hand up her thigh before grabbing hold of a hand-gun sized blaster, unholstering and spinning it on one finger, "Deal?" she handed it to him as he was still flustered from the way she spoke her sentence with a lustful tone.

Ben gulped.

…

**Emperor Sidious' Flag Ship**

Standing in a skybox like cube overlooking an arena; Darth Vader and Emperor Sidious were side by side watching as fifteen stormtroopers surrounded a single woman with a hood and a mask wearing nothing but a skin tight black body suit, aiming their weapons at her.

"**And you're sure she is without her weapon?"**

Vader was unphased, "The only weapon she wields is the magicks of the Nightsisters."

"**Good,"** he said to his apprentice, **"Let the test begin!"** he announced with a cackle, showing his deformed teeth with a sinister grin.

Gwen looked up, her eyes were no longer emerald but, bright yellow and they hadn't faded from this color in months, all she could see was her opponent and rage.

Three of them open fired on her from behind but, she stopped all three crimson blaster bolts with the force and froze everyone in the room with a pressure of impressive magnitude; she snapped her eyes open as they were now completely dark green unlike anything she'd experienced until learning this new magic.

The three that attacks were slowly drained, as the life force energy left their body in a trail, entering the body of Gwen even through her mask as they shriveled into dust within their armor; collecting the energy, the clones watched in fear as they stepped back watching their comrades life energy surround her in a green fog.

Vader couldn't help but notice Sidious' grin as she quickly cut three more down with her abilities as they all began firing their weapons again; she teleported in a cloud of green smoke, appearing behind one searching soldier and snapping his neck before vanishing again. It was limited and only at short range but, she could move instantly between certain parts of battles; appearing right in front of trooper, she grabbed his rifle and bashed it against his helmet as she flipped him over her shoulder relieving him of his weapon. Shooting two more approaching clones, she broke the blaster in two over her knee tossing a piece across the room hitting a trooper directly between the eyes, shattering the glass of his helmet. Sprinting up to him she grabbed his head between her thighs using her body weight to flip him onto his stomach, grabbing his wrist and breaking his arm in one swift movement. She stood but, she ducked under a swing from the unarmed trooper whom she'd stolen his weapon, she turned around as the energy she wielded formed into an ethereal blade which still pierced his heart.

Another group entered the room, these men were armed with rifles and began firing on sight and without remorse; this time she displayed her speed as she used a combination of provocative flexibility and short-range teleport to dodge through the blaster fire. Dipping and dodging, one blast made it within a foot of her face before she vanished into smoke, "I've lost visual!"

From behind she dropped, landing with a force push that knocked them all onto their stomachs; one of them turned over and fired his blaster which she deflected with one palm, using the last of her emerald life magick to fire a bolt of green energy through his chest. The rest groaned as she methodically begun sucking out their energy, lifting them up into the air and syphoning all of their power until she cackled with emerald lightning.

Without notice, she turned and fired a bolt of green energy into an unarmed cannon which was supposed to be used on her; it went up in flames as the dancing lights reflected off the window in front of the two Sith Lords.

Without warning, hatches from the circumference of the ring opened and unleashed legions of droids, likely left over from the Clone War's which the Emperor orchestrated, aiming their weapons at her, their were dozens of them on all sides but, these were basic battle droids so they were slow and very dull even though effective in numbers. Gwen clapped her hands together as surging emerald lightning surrounded her hands and spread upwards across her arms and torso, the electricity was similar to Ben's ability as it utilized a corrupted form of mana energy to super-charge her body.

They fired their weapons but, she was gone as she teleported away, appearing above them as she dropped ten feet and slammed a palm into the ground, the shockwave gave her breathing room as it knocked back a wave of droids; she dashed forwards annihilating them, as one blaster bolt managed to tag her in the back, it didn't injure her but, instead it enraged her as she floated up a foot and shouted at the top of her lungs. This shout sent a force shockwave out in all directions, disassembling and crushing every droid in the ring with her as well as sending cracks through the glass separating the Emperor and Vader from the arena.

Gwen stopped and looked around before turning back up at the box, it was a one-way mirror so she couldn't see their reaction even with the cracks, but she took down her hood and deactivated her mask, bowing towards them, **"And what of her mind?"**

"Molded to your specifications; she knows only what we've told her to know, she has no memory of her family or past life."

"**And we haven't had any more **_**incidents**_**?" **

Darth Vader turned back towards the bowing Gwen who, via programming, would bow for hours if she was instructed, "The doctor who attempted to _touch_ her has been executed and she hasn't had an outburst since, I believe it would be wise to make her the new First Sister in my line of Inquisitors."

The Emperor turned his cloaked head toward Vader, not making eye contact, **"Are you sure this is the decision you want to make?"**

"Yes, Master."

"**So be it, do as you please, simply ensure that our plans for the super weapon are not delayed, it is our number one priority,"** escorted by two guards, the Emperor left the room leaving Vader to stare down at Gwen, he reminded her much of Ahsoka when she first approached him but, now she was another mindless drone for him to control.

It was obvious that Sidious knew Anakin could take him down, so when he saw the opportunity to install him with nigh-permanent prosthetics, he made them as painful and heavy as possible to keep his powerful apprentice from ever gaining the courage or the strength to over throw him. Perhaps if he had an apprentice as adept in magicks and Sith skill, he could realize that dream and take the Galaxy for himself. Even if not, training an apprentice was still a good plan to have just in case Sidious wasn't being deceptive with him.

…

Darth Vader approached Gwen as she bowed mindlessly in the center of the room; she had been regularly subjected to intense mind control for so long that she had no will of her own to contend with, "Rise," he demanded as she did so, standing at attention in front of him.

He held out her lightsaber as she grabbed it and methodically strapped it to her belt, "I am knighting you as my First Sister, an Inquisitor that exists to hunt down and destroy Jedi scum."

Gwen blinked a few times, "I am… an inquisitor… I hunt Jedi…"

"Your cousin Ben Tennyson is a Jedi," he lied.

But, Gwen couldn't resist, her trance like state simply repeated, "Ben Tennyson is a Jedi and… I _hunt_ Jedi scum…"

"Good, now," he reached his hand out, "Come with me."

…

**Six Hours Later**

The sun was finally setting as eight-hundred-feet away from Ben, there was a set of two dozen cans placed at different angles, each one in a different spot including on top of the nearby ship, behind him on a rock, to his left and right as well. They were made of a strange metal and they were part of brand sold on a planet they recently stocked up on rations from. There were other cans that were distinctly bright white cans that represented innocents he shouldn't shoot, practicing his marksman ship with a blaster.

"You've been doing this for weeks now, you've got this," Ahsoka cheered him on with a whisper as he took a breath and she turned, starting a stop-watch device with its beep, Ben heard said beep and started shooting when he did. He turned on a dime, using only is raw physical speed, firing one after the other, each blast knocking over the right can one by one as not a single blast missed.

Within two-point-nine seconds all the targets had been hit and Ahsoka stopped the clock, "New record!"

He blew on the barrel of his blaster even though it hadn't been smoking, which she found adorable since she couldn't understand why he did it; Ben approached and pulled Ahsoka in as she yelped happily, he holstered her blaster on her belt while looking into her eyes deeply, "Maybe we should, move inside?" He reached down as their lips met their tongues weren't far behind, exploring each other's mouths as Ahsoka melted into his embrace she could feel her kiss making his knees weak and that turned her on. She bit his lip slowly pulling away as gently as possible, "I mean i-if you want to, I mean," she unzipped her vest and let it fall to the ground.

"What's wrong with right here… right now…?"

Ben was going to protest that while they had set up a small camp, he didn't feel it was sanitary to have unprotected sex and especially to do it out in the open but, then she removed her support-bra, in the form of a crimson wrap tightly around her chest, she pulled it over her head showing him her perky bare chest.

"Here is fine."

…


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney

**Naboo – 2 Months Later**

They didn't need anything fancy, Ben and Ahsoka simply stood on a cliffside, overlooking massive waterfall with impressively stunning fauna and flora all around. They paid one local recommended by Bail Organa as he apparently also wed Padme and Anakin in secret, to lead their ceremony where they read their own vows and had a lovely night together in an upscale hotel, alone. Even if it wasn't something they could share with the world, it was still something they could share with each other and that was enough for them.

Ben had been so nervous the day of his wedding, he was a tad disappointed that his father and mother couldn't be here, or especially Grandpa Max, he would have known what to say to calm his nerves. He cried during the ceremony a tad, but he blamed it on how happy it made him which wasn't a lie, it was the happiest moment in his nineteen years of life but, he would have given anything for Gwen to see him in his robes.

Ahsoka was aghast when she learned that women wore tight thick dresses during wedding ceremonies; instead, she opted for a bright blue blouse, with glittering designs across it and matching an ankle length sundress of the same color. One thing that stood out was the headpiece she wore; it was something she said that all women on her planet had them during their betrothal ceremonies. It matched her dress with turquoise jewels leading across her montrals and down over the marking on her forehead above her brow.

It wasn't a ceremony like the ones he'd seen or been to as a child, it was more natural and had more flare; it celebrated the love of two more than the idea of being betrothed, even without guests or caterers, even without special foods or a fancy venue, the whole room became as radiant as the sun the moment she walked out into the courtyard and caught his glance from across the yard. The grass was so green and lush on this planet, and Ben had grown into this new lifestyle well so he didn't mind that she was barefoot during their wedding, he kept his boots on out of habit but, he knew exactly what kind of free-spirit he was linking his soul together with for life.

Ben always did hate suits so it was no surprise that he opted for Ahsoka's intuitive idea of having a more open minded look at their dress code; he wore a tight black t-shirt with a white tunic over it strapped to his waist by a belt, he was nervous and his knees were almost entirely made of gelatin but, the one thing he didn't hesitate to do was utter two, simple words that would change his life forever.

"I do."

…

**Pasaana**

Even though this planet only had one sun, it still felt like Jakuu or Tatooine in the way of dry heat, especially for a small town in the middle of the desert with a population under a thousand. The people were of different species and lived peacefully, in harmony for the most part, it was the perfect place to settle down for Ben and Ahsoka after celebrating their marriage on Naboo. They returned due to the Empire placing large bounties on their heads, also them not having occupied the planet yet made it ideal to spend the next five years living in a small house-sized building, it was different than what Ben had been used to but, change was good. He only wanted to make a few small alterations. It took days or even weeks but, Ben used his abilities and saber to build a basement for the house they purchased, carving doorways and stone steps leading down into a bunker layered with sheet metal, less than a hundred square feet but, it only had one purpose. Digging a hole in the center of the room, Ahsoka used a mixture like cement to mold a compartment in the ground large enough for one thing.

Ben and Ahsoka had both sworn an oath against violence, a vow of a passive nature for their own good and the good of the rest of the Galaxy; loading their lightsabers and thousands in credits as well as their blasters into a trunk, they locked it with a finger-print reader. Lowering the chest into the compartment, covering it properly in plywood, and then layering it in cement to be buried and forgotten for half a decade.

That night, Ben used a flattening tool to pat down the cement, creating a seemingly normal basement floor as he looked up to Ahsoka, "Are we sure about this?"

She nodded in response, looking down at the wet cement that would soon bury the violence of their past for them; "We fought enough for now, I want to actually live my life… with _you_…" she finished her sentence by wrapping an arm around his shoulder and looking into his eyes, "Remember your first lesson?"

"Balance: the will of the force will always guide me toward peace," he smiled and looked back down at what represented their old lives, "When the time comes for Gwen and I to face each other again, I'll know, I'm putting my faith in the force," Ben had already done a lot of growing up when he thought his Grandfather sacrificed himself against the Highbreed but, the last two years have given him perspective he never thought he could have, maturity when he didnt think he could ever grow up, and now he was married. He would hope Grandpa Max would be proud of what he'd done so far, or perhaps ashamed of lying down while Gwen suffers, or perhaps he wouldn't say anything at all, how could he know? No matter how hard he tried, he could never shake that feeling of doubt.

"Second thoughts leads to imbalance, we're making the right call, I know we are, for your sake," Ahsoka responded making her way for the steps that led them down there, "Come on, lets go set up the furniture from the ship…"

She practically had to drag him out as the lights shut off and the door closed, both on the room and that chapter of their lives.

…

Ben pushed a large dresser in front of the five-foot doorway his saber had carved; dusting his hands off, he backed away looking at it to ensure that nobody could tell there was a hidden entrance, "I think that'll hide it pretty well," he said to which he got no response, "Right? Ahsoka?" Ben turned and found her staring out the window instead as he put on his black t-shirt.

"I feel something…"

Ben took a few steps forwards as he looked out into the sky, seeing nothing but sparse clouds, "There are no incoming Imperial shi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, she quickly opened the door and walked out of their house and into the road, not that any of the animals pulling carts could hit her at their speed but, she was drawing unnecessary attention, "Ahsoka!" Ben shouted in a whisper, still slightly paranoid.

She turned a corner as she finally heard the screams, bloodcurdling screams that could shatter glass if it were in pitch; Ahsoka kicked the door down assuming she needed to hurt someone but, she found a man, holding his wife's hand on a purple blanket on the ground.

"Hey!" Ben shouted as he popped his head in, "What is-"

Ahsoka approached, changing her demeanor and attitude on sight, "You need to take her to a doctor, that baby could die, and possibly your wife."

"My name is Wan by the way, thank you for asking," Wan announced as he stood up, "Have you looked around? You got the most expensive building on this street. My wife, June and I cant afford a doctor even if there were one that could birth a child," he returned to his wife and clasped her hand as she took deep breaths, in and out, huffing and screaming in intervals.

"We should leave," Ben said trying his best to look away from what he definitely didn't need to see, "This is definitely none of our business."

"We have to help them?"

"Why?!"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, remembering her time as a Padawan, "Because someone once told me that when someone needs help, you help them..." She turned and shut the door with them both still in the room, "I took two years of medical classes during the Clone Wars, not fun but educational," she used the nearby sink to wash her hands before kneeling down at the scene, she looked right into the woman's eyes with a smile, "You and your child are going to be just fine, I promise."

Ben opened the door and closed it, standing outside he placed his back against the wall, he looked around as everyone just passed by the building with a screaming woman begging for her life inside, "It's not…" he tried to explain, "She's giving birt- it doesn't matter," he looked away and held his forehead, a migraine was coming on.

…

**Forty-Five Minutes Later**

Ahsoka opened the door and caught Ben staring up at the sky, biting his nail, with his weapons buried in cement and the way he acted when she left the house, he was definitely on edge, "Hey," she caught his attention as he ceased the bad habit and looked back to her, taking a step forward, "There's something you should see…" the smile on her face was glowing, he couldn't really describe it.

She led him back in as the wife was holding a large potato in a blue blanket, only it had tiny little fingers, and little stubby legs; the blue-skinned baby girl resembled her mother more than her father but, that happened on occasion. She looked too similar to a human baby for Ben to not be astonished, in the last three years he'd seen a lot of death and chaos but, to be exposed to such beautiful… _life_.

"Do you want to hold her?" June asked, "It's the least we could do?"

Ahsoka took hold gladly, gently grasping the blanket as the baby giggled as it had stopped crying rather quickly but, for all she knew that was totally normal. She grabbed Ahsoka's pink with her whole hand, "Have you thought of a name?"

Wan smiled, still holding her hand, "We had one already picked out; Chachi, after her grandmother."

Ben took a second as time slowed down, sparks ran across his body with blue flashes as he took several steps forward with everyone else frozen, it was only a millisecond but, for him it was a minute or two. He simply looked down at the baby, suddenly he felt like every single stressful thing he had on his mind had vanished. It was almost unbelievable the effect seeing this miracle of life had on him, as Ahsoka started handing her back to June, Ben took a step back as his energy dissipated and the baby landed in her mother's arms.

"Chachi… that's a nice name," Ben announced as he smiled for the first time, Ahsoka noticed this as she passed him, collecting some of the supplies she used to aid in the process.

"We can't thank you enough for… breaking into our house," Wan chuckled as he stood up and shook Ben's hand, "That's quite a grip, you guys came busting in here because you heard screaming?"

Ahsoka and Ben shared an equally unsure glance as he chuckled, "I was once an acolyte for the Jedi Temple on Corrasaunt; thank fully, my family and I escaped the core worlds before…" he exhaled, "Things became chaotic, my wife was pregnant so we settled here only a few months ago to have the child, having Jedi here was a relief."

Ben chuckled, "No, uh," he couldn't finish his sentence but, Ahsoka did for him.

"We aren't Jedi but, we are trained warriors so when we heard a cry for help, I guess I couldn't ignore my instincts," she placed a few blood splattered bowls into their sink and washed her hands again.

June was so captivated by her baby Chachi that she wasn't at all part of the conversation, not unusual, "Well, whoever you are, we're glad you were around; I've heard stories of a new Sith Lord under Darth Vader that's rising through the ranks; I cut all communications with the core worlds and ditched them from my ship's trash shoot after that," he folded his arms looking back at his new baby daughter, "We'll be sticking around for as long as we can, it's only a matter of time before the Imperial Army occupies this planet as well."

Ben spoke up this time trying to ignore it as much as possible, "Well, we are your new neighbors, so we'll be around for a while too; if you ever need anything, we can help."

"Thank you," June spoke up from her blanket, barely taking a moment to look away from her child to glance at Ahsoka as they took their leave, exiting the house and crossing the street to their own again.

As the door closed behind them, Ben folded his arms, "A little warning next time would be nice," he said as she flipped a table upright, grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it up, "I've never actually seen a baby's birth before."

"What do you think?"

"Other than knowing for sure I don't want one for another ten years?" She giggled as he continued, looking back out the window at the house they'd just left, "Pretty good, after all of this death and destruction, it's nice to have a little light added into the mix."

"Well, we _are_ married, there's only one more step after that to take…" Ahsoka cooed sarcastically as Ben covered his ears, walking into the other room.

"La, La, La; Not listening."

…

**6 Years Later**

Ben and Ahsoka loved sleeping together, mostly because of the difference in their sizes; Ben had now fully grown physically and was a hair short of six-feet-tall so she could easily fit into his embrace as they spooned, it left him open to wrap his arms around her at times to keep her close, like a safety blanket but, spite how he held her, she must never learn of Furry Freddy. Their bedroom was fully furnished and decorated, obviously lived in for some time to the point where Ahsoka was comfortably topless, as she preferred to sleep, lying over Ben who was in just his boxers as they enjoyed slumber together. Even though the sun was coming up, neither were morning people so, they tried their very best to sleep in though, the shattering of a window stirred him as Ben shot up, knocking Ahsoka over.

"Five more minutes…" she announced pulling the cover over her head, she had _adapted_ many habits from Ben over the last near decade, not all of them great.

Ben sat up and approached the door, slowly opening it and peaking out he saw the shattered glass across his floor and stepped out into the hall and into the living area; "Hey," Wan announced from behind him as Ben responded by grabbing his hand and flipping him over his shoulder, putting him in an arm lock in a matter of a few seconds, "It's just me, it's just me!"

He didn't register it until he noticed a white baseball rolling across the floor next to him; this was the type of town where everyone knew everyone, if you lived there, you should know to lock up any valuables you _might_ have well because there was a good chance kids could come in and out, locks were not a commodity even for the richer tenets.

He quickly released his neighbor and helped him up as he also grabbed the ball to hand it to Wan as they stood, "Sorry, you, uh, scared me…"

"No worries, my arm was always popping like that," he chuckled as he rolled his shoulder, trying to work out the minor pain that was left from the self-defense, in a town of mostly foreign alien species, it was refreshing to have a human man living nearby,"Chachi accidentally knocked the ball through your window; I thought I'd just grab it and pay for the damages," they had similar situations where Wan was human but, his wife June was a Twi'lek from Ryloth.

Ben held his head for a moment, always enjoying seeing the similarities in Wan to himself, "Yea, don't worry about it, we'll fix it ourselves…" he was still a bit surprised by the shock but, before he could start hyperventilating, his beautiful wife peaked out in just an incredibly large t-shirt.

"What's going on?" Ahsoka tried her best to keep her more modest parts covered, noticing the glass scattered on the floor in front of the window.

Ben explained as he stroked his beard, "Chachi hit a ball through the window, I told Wan it was no problem," he seemed to still be more on edge than he should, waking up with a startle like that.

"Oh, of course not, I'm sure it'll be fine," Ahsoka smiled and resigned back to the room to get properly ready, "Ben invite him!" she shouted from through the door.

"Invite me where?" Wan asked.

Ben chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, quickly forgetting about his deeper thoughts, "We were going to cook this really big hog we caught for dinner tonight and we figured we'd invite you three over?"

"Well, I cant turn down free food, especially when there's enough to go around," Wan held his hand out and shook with Ben once again as he opened the door to exit the room, "We'll see you tonight!" he shouted out as he crossed the street to scold his child for where he aimed his ball.

"Sure thing!" Ben shut the door.

Ahsoka shouted out from the room, "Ben!"

"I told him, relax!" he chuckled.

"No, get in here!"

He opened the door almost in a panic as her tone suggested, Ahsoka had gotten dressed in her blue sleeveless vest and grey arm sleeves that wrapped around her hands and cut off around her mid forearm coupled with tight leggings; she was holding a radar-like device, a piece of navigational equipment they took from their ship when they parked it in storage, which registered atmospheric readings that matched incoming Imperial vessels.

"Do you think they're here for us?" she asked as she turned to look into his eyes.

"How could they even know we're here? Lots of humans and Togruta live in the Galaxy," Ben and Ahsoka heard a familiar boom of planet re-entry speeds, dropping the radar on their bed, they sprinted for the door, stepping out onto their minuscule porch, looking up at the Imperial Light Cruiser as it quickly made landfall, it was stationary as the landing gear pounded into the sand, towns people just watched in awe as pressurized steam came out forcing the couple hid behind a wall to stay out of sight. A long platform slowly extended out into the sand, revealing a dark ship within, from it came one woman in all black leather armor and a helmet that seemed familiar to Ben; behind her was a legion of troopers in lines of three, only a bakers dozen or maybe more with her.

"We are here under the orders of the Galactic Empire; we're searching for those of you that are force sensitive, if you are not than you have nothing to worry about!" she shouted all of her orders but, Ben recognized that voice as he pulled Ahsoka back into their shack.

"I recognize her, that's the Second Sister chick who tried to kill me when we first trained on Yavin," Ben peaked out through the cracks of the door so he could see the towns people being scanned and searched, "She'll make us the second she lays eyes on us, and I don't think we can mind trick our way out of this."

"We've been suppressing our connection to the force for years now," she explained as she clasped his hands, this always calmed his nerves when it was just them two, "If she thought we were here they probably would have bombed the entire city at once from orbit, so long as Second Sister doesn't see us we should be okay," a knock came at the door as Ben led Ahsoka to the bedroom, "Pretend he's searching, don't act suspicious!" she whispered as he closed the door in front of her, she never did like hiding and waiting during conflict, spite her vow against violence.

Ben gulped and opened it as two men clad in armor and rifles forced their way in, "We're checking for force sensitives!"

He allowed them to comb that room as Ben sat down at the table and lifted his fingers, tapping them on the desk rhythmically, almost hypnotically, "You've already searched this house…" he tried his best to reach out into the force without Second Sister noticing, she was a force novice but, he still didn't want to take the chance of her feeling his sway.

As they were about to open the door with the more recognizable Ahsoka inside, the stormtrooper stopped and looked back at him with a hidden expression behind his mask, "What did you say?"

He went with the flow of his confidence and said it again, this time looking at the other trooper, "This house, you've already checked it, it's clear."

After a tense minute of silence, the troopers looked at one another and made their way for the exit, "We checked this house already, let's move on!" closing the door on the way out, walking back out into the street.

Ben gasped as he leaned back in the wooden chair he'd carved himself; Ahsoka took the door closing and the sigh of relief as a sign to exit the door and look around, "That was tense," she stated the obvious.

"Tell me about it; it's a good thing there aren't any other force sensitives in this town," Ben stood up and moved to their small refrigeration case and pulled out a cold container of water, "If Second Sister doesn't make us, they should leave peacefully with nothing to find," he took a long sip as they heard the troopers making their rounds.

"Let's hope you're right," she answered.

…

**Six Hours Later**

Ben and Ahsoka had cooked the hog and prepped it to be carved along with several side dishes and drinks, enough room for five people at the table and as the entire room had been set up, it was going to be one of the first times they socialize with others casually since they met. She was never much of a cook but, since meeting Ben she'd learned to make several dishes, not just for him but for herself too.

"I figured they'd be here by now," Ahsoka announced as Ben peaked out the window and noticed their neighbors door wide open, narrowing his eyes, it seems as though someone had forced their way in from the outside and he could sense more than three people in the house at least, even with his limited abilities and power. He crossed the street casually to remind them, just in case Wan forgot to let the rest of his family know, even though you could smell Ahsoka's cooking from through the town, she was truly a blessing.

He grabbed the door handle and swung it open further, peaking into their home and knocking on the door frame, "Hey, Wan we have dinne-" he trailed off as he looked around the room, a single bulb hung from the middle of the ceiling where four stormtroopers stood with smoking blasters, turning to face the disturbance.

In the corner was Wan, June, and Chachi lying in a pool of blood; the troopers turned and ordered them to leave but, Chachi was clinging to her mother, begging her to wake up, "Please! Mommy!" her screams started to echo around him, should he act? He swore he would never take another life but, where is the line drawn?

Ben couldn't tell if his power had been activated or not but, time certainly slowed down for him, as he watched the terror in Chachi's eyes as she stared down the barrel of a rifle; he moved but, not even close to fast enough, his arm just reached out as a blaster bolt went through her chest, putting a hole in the wooden wall behind her.

He gasped as he reached out, slowly approaching the scene until one of them tried pushing him out of the house by force, all the screaming had entirely faded into the background, all he could see was the frightened last looks of an innocent child. That man received a broken wrist as Ben proceeded to grab his helmeted head and pound it through the wooden table in front of them, shattering it with his face, as he continued towards the corpses.

Ben didn't take his eyes off the bodies though as Ahsoka entered the room hearing the blaster-fire, the remaining two turned their blasters on her, "Oh, no..." she muttered.

"Don't move!" they shouted as she put her hands up but, only focused on Ben as he crossed the room.

Ben scooped up the body of the infant girl, her blood on his hands and tunic; two stormtroopers kept their aim on Ahsoka as the other two turned to apprehend Ben, "I wouldn't do that if i were you."

"Shut up!"

One of them reached out grabbing Ben's shoulder with his armored hand, his blaster still pointed point-blank at his face; still holding the toddler in his arms, he stood threateningly but, the trooper never took his blaster off his head. Glancing over his shoulder, Ben flashed yellow iris' as a wave of force energy exploded out around him, knocking miscellaneous objects across the room. This sudden burst also caused the troopers finger to pull the trigger firing a blaster bolt into Ben's face, however; as the smoking cleared and Ben recoiled, half of his face was pure turquoise energy which his skin slowly formed over.

Ahsoka took the distraction to work her way through the troopers; she stepped into the hut sized house, kicking the door closed with her foot as she stampeded forwards, tackling the closest trooper and forcing his weapon from him, bashing his glass viewer on his helmet with the butt of the rifle, getting glass in his eyes as he screamed, Ahsoka knocked him out. She stayed with the rifle facing down as the other three had now focused entirely on her, pointing their rifles but, suddenly Ben forced all weapons into the air including Ahsoka's, tightening them together into a heap of scrap metal and tossing it across the room, without taking his eyes off of Chachi.

One of the troopers figured with their stature and weight compared to hers, this would be an easy fight but, the first to swing was blocked by a left forearm followed by a jab to the throat and a kick in the stomach knocking him into Wan's favorite wooden recliner which he'd built himself; the impact broke it to pieces but, Ahsoka had two more to worry about. She got into a fighting stance but, was slightly confused when they froze.

Ben laid Chachi down and turned to face the troopers that murdered her and her family; they lifted off their feet, now completely obvious that they were under his force grip. A foot off the ground, they both floated in front of him, their bones straining under the pressure of his raw power, "Ben, remember your vow, your promise."

"What do promises mean in a world where a child can't play in his yard in peace on a planet like this?" As Ben stepped forwards, the sweat trickled down the backs of the troopers even through their thick armor, "Almost ten years in this Galaxy, we've seen what promises are worth; how many good guys are left?" he asked as she frowned, unable to answer, "How many stayed that way?"

"Do this, and there is _no_ going back, you don't have the watch anymore, if you become this person now, you can't change back..." Ahsoka stated seriously.

Ben got closer to the trooper, holding his hand out around the helmet of one of them as the blue and yellow energies fought a war in his eyes, "I'm done pretending I ever changed to begin with," he snapped both their necks at once as Ahsoka sighed watching them go limp, dropping them in disappointment; he walked past them as one of the still living troopers groggily reached out, with glass in his eyes, trying to grab his radio.

Ahsoka grabbed a discarded blaster and took the blunt end of the it knocking out the trooper on the ground before tossing it and approaching the scene with a solemn expression, no hesitation to kill innocents, she had come to know both Wan and June so this hit particularly hard for her as Chachi was riddled with blaster bolts, "She was force sensitive, they had a shoot on sight order," he spoke from the doorway, looking out through the cracks of the door to ensure nobody was alerted to what just happened. He didnt look behind when he tossed over his head a device he pulled from one of the corpses.

She caught it and dusted it off, turning it around to read it properly, "Wan and June weren't force sensitives... Chachi was."

"Check who sent the order..."

After taking a quick look down at the radar, she dropped it as Darth Anodyne was displayed brightly in neon galactic-basic, "They were going to take another girl and turn her into-" Ben couldn't finish his sentence as he choked on his words; he grabbed the wooden handle and walked out of the hut, heading straight for their home.

"Ben, think this through," Ahsoka shouted following him as he opened the door and made his way toward the now fully stocked dresser, remaining unmoved for years; it would be at least ten more minutes before the bodies were noticed, even then they wouldn't know it was _them_ that caused the horror show, "You swore an oath against violence."

"I know what I did," he looked her in the eye before looking back over at the set table, full of hot food getting cold, unfortunately the meal would spoil that night, "But, I cant hold back this feeling anymore; Anodyne wants to find force users to find _me_ and kill them to please _Vader_, this is my fault and I need to fix it," he passed her heading toward the side wall.

"How do you plan on _fixing_ this?"

Ben grabbed the edge of the dresser and tossed it over, knocking the drawers loose and sending items scattering across the ground; he turned on a light and grabbed a sledgehammer leaned against the entrance as he faced the opening, "This is a sign, it's time to end this, starting with Second Sister," he moved passed her, down the steps towards the basement they used to store some of their older items from the years in their ship.

Ahsoka wasn't far behind as she shared his general feeling of needing to end this rivalry; he dragged the hammer down the steps slowly, "I want you to know what I'm about to do isn't about vengeance or anger; I'm doing this because it's what must be done," he pulled the hammer back and hung on, "I've ignored my destiny for way too long, I can't let others suffer for it," He punctuated his sentence with the first concrete shattering swing, sending cracks through the ground, it was a thin layer, so another swing cracked it into chunks. With each swing, with each contact he made, he broke apart more concrete literally and metaphorically digging up the life he wanted desperately to leave.

Dropping down to his knees as he rummaged and tossed aside the chunks of concrete rubble, pulling them away one by one until he could see the finger-print reader, opening the trunk hidden within. He glided his fingers across his armor which was as pristine as he remembered, and his saber's hilt hadn't faded at all even in the near decade since he'd built it on Illum.

"I wont ask you to pick it up again, I only ask that you stay out of my way," Ben grabbed his tunic and tossed it aside, leaving his belt on as he strapped his porcelain white armor on over his black t-shirt and hooked the saber to said belt.

"Are you kidding me?" Ahsoka leaned down and grazed a finger across the end of her lightsaber hilt which she hadn't picked up since the day she took her vow with her husband, "I love you, Ben, even enough to take up a oath of pacifism with you; I don't like to seek out violence but the bastards who killed my friends are going to _wish_ they hadn't."

Ben exhaled as he turned around, fastening the last of the clips, fully equipped in armor with his old Omnitrix symbol painted on his pectoral, "Once I take care of Second Sister, taking back this town should be cake," he turned to walk back up the steps as he passed her, Ahsoka strapped her own belt to her waist, force pulling the saber from its case on her way up the steps.

"Wait," she grabbed his arm as they reached the door, "If the troopers see you killing their commander, they'll send a distress signal, the last thing we need is getting another planet occupied by the Empire by interfering; you draw their attention away but, don't do anything stupid until I disable their communications panel…"

Ben scoffed as he pulled his arm away childishly, "Stupid is my default," still hidden by their house, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in, locking lips with her as she closed her eyes to savor every second until he pulled away and proceeded to walk out into the middle of the street with buildings on either side, the sun was starting to set and this distraction allowed Ahsoka to slip out of their house unnoticed with a cloak over her montrals and head-tails.

"Hey!" He shouted at a group of stormtroopers that were questioning some kids, they all ran when the three troopers turned to face him, "You think you're _so_ tough with your blasters and your fancy ships!"

One of the troopers scoffed, "I think he's drunk... just get him back to his house and shut the door!"

As one of the troopers approached Ben, who stumbled into him, they were all shocked when a bright purple blade came protruding from his back, impaling and killing him as he deactivated it and the man toppled over, "I'm not drunk, I'm sick! Sick and tired of being afraid!"

Everyone, from the other civilians, to the troopers carrying the bodies of his friends away, to the remaining troopers who guarded the ship had their attention on Ben after openly killing a stormtrooper in the middle of a search, "You slaughter innocents, you take what you want, that's not an army that's called being a pirate!" Ben approached them as one trigger happy clone fired off a blast which Ben simply turned his head to avoid, hitting the wall behind him.

To back them up, three more troopers approached with their blasters at eye level, "Step back or we _will_ open fire," Ben put his hands up and stopped his approach as he closed his eyes to feel out Ahsoka's location, she was behind the ship already but, how could he know when the right time to act was? He had to remember to put his faith in the force.

"I know you will!" Ben shouted, "You'll kill anyone who looks at you sideways, right?"

The stormtroopers were hardly used to resistance, they came in waves of large numbers and wielded weapons that could kill with one shot so, they were rarely challenged openly like this, "That's it, we warned him enough, fire when ready!"

Ben's entire body was engulfed in blue lightning, electricity that surged across his arms and legs, even making his skin appear to glow blue; the blaster bolts fired and he didn't have any trouble dodging and weaving between them as each bolt approached he vanished with raw speed, slowly getting closer and closer to the group of troopers, each blast missing entirely. Second Sister stepped out of the ship, peering around the corner casually as she folded her arms; the anarchist looked a bit familiar but, he was too big and bulky to be the person she was thinking of, then again, it had been nearly eight years since that day… her train of thought was interrupted when an explosion went off behind her ship, rocking the entire massive ship and nearly knocking her off balance.

The clones ceased fire to watch the explosion for the briefest of moments, giving Ben more than enough time to swoop in spinning horizontally with his lightsaber already ignited, purple flashes bisected a man from his throat to his bellybutton as the others backed away, they were too slow; they fired off blasts randomly which proved disastrous as one blast was deflected by his saber into the lower-abdomen of a trooper, killing him almost instantly. He heard the faint whine of the charge of two blasters about to fire from behind, their intent gave them away but, he was a bit rusty from the last few years of peace so it took him a few seconds longer to back flip over the shots and decapitate them both with one swing, landing on his feet.

Ahsoka jumped between rooftops, building to building, landing with a roll on a rooftop above Second Sister's vessel to watch her handy-work on the ship below, easily rigging a ship to critically malfunction in certain places to disable certain things was _also_ something she had to learn in the midst of war; Second Sister shouted back at her crew, "We're under attack, activate the distress beacon!"

One of the clones typed away for about a minute before turning back around, "The long distance communications unit is the only spot we were hit, no other damage!"

Second Sister jumped from the ship and landed on the plateau the town sat on, taking a few steps forwards, "It's not an attack then, it's a coordinated assault, which _means_," she turned her head over her shoulder to look back at the man killing disposable troopers, "My attention should be on him," she pointed a black leathered finger at Ben who turned around finally to face her.

"Who, me? I'm nobody…" His body flashed bright blue, static energy crossing through his muscles and veins, he dashed forwards shoulder-tapping her in the chest as she was sent ten feet off the ground, onto her back, "I'm just Ben Tennyson…" it had been a while since he'd used his powers so offensively which came with consequences as he could feel the strain on his body but, continued anyways.

She clutched the dirt, "I knew it!" she stood as grabbed a gleaming silver hilt from her belt and standing slowly, she ignited her crimson saber, now just a single bladed weapon and aimed it at him, "You subjected me to years of torture, now allow me to return the favor tenfold!"

She swung right as Ben held up an effortless defense, holding his saber with one hand while she wildly collided with his purple

Towns folk watched from closed doors and boarded windows, barricading themselves in their homes for safety, they did their best to spectate the action watching as the Second Sister swung left and Ben ducked under the slash with incredible speed and versatility, sweeping her off her feet while he was below her arms reach, he watched her back hit the ground again while he stood above her, "What are you waiting for?!" Second Sister shouted up at the troopers by the ship, "Kill him!"

Six stormtroopers took aim at once, firing at him simultaneously as Ben turned with scattered bolts of blue lightning enhancing his speed, igniting his amethyst lightsaber, and swinging it with such force that one slash deflected all six energy bolts back into the soldiers that fired them so precisely that not a single blast missed its target, essentially killing half a dozen men with one swing.  
He turned back to the Second Sister who had recovered, sprinting forwards and leaping over to vertically slash Ben, throwing up a horizontal guard. His increased strength made the fight very one-sided as, beyond a simple force push or pull, normal Inquisitors aren't allowed to wield the force making those in the Imperial Army that wield it even more threatening.

...

Ahsoka noticed the ship was only occupied by a few people in trooper armor, "Opportunity is knocking on me, or, I _think_ that's how Ben used it," she spoke to herself as she front-flipped off the roof top landing on the top of the ship gracefully; two troopers looked up as they heard the footsteps come from above but, they vanished just as quickly.

One of the men at the computers looked at a trooper and gestured for him to approach the doorway with his blaster to check it out, what they didn't expect was Ahsoka to swing in from the door frame, drop kicking the trooper back first into a control panel as she ignited a blue lightsaber and twirled it between her fingers, they instinctively stayed back. One reached for the control panel, "Don't do it…" she warned.

A trooper blasted her aiming for her back from behind, just barely being able to turn to deflect it out onto the platform; the ship was much larger but, she was only interested in the central command, "Inquisitorious-2 reporting a distress signal, two Jedi ha-" Ahsoka swung quickly yet carefully, severing the transmitter without damaging the rest of the controls around the central computer.

She turned and round housed the trooper's blaster out of his hand so that she could swing in the opposite direction and cut the man who made the transmission in two before returning to the first trooper, impaling him as he was unarmed, she deactivated her saber allowing him to fall over. Ahsoka turned back around and moved towards the computer console pulling out a data-storage device from her cleavage that Ben refused to call anything other than a _thumb-drive_ but, she didn't understand what thumbs had to do with it other than its size.

Finding the proper input and plugging it into their computer, she quickly downloaded information from their ships database, "Come on, Ben, just a bit longer…" there was a crimson progress bar that was loading as it extracted files, even encrypted ones, like the location of Darth Anodyne and when best to strike her traveling routes.

She looked out as Ben and Second Sister crossed blades in the street a few hundred feet away sending flashes of hot-pink flashes of light around them as crimson and amethyst energies collided; Ahsoka had gotten used to knowing him, living with him, being with him, being married to him, when he noted to people that she was his wife, she could still feel butterflies in her stomach even over five years later. She got flustered when he complimented her outfits and their nights were phenomenal, both intimately and sexually; Ahsoka had to do everything in her power to get back to that life, even if it meant following Ben to hell and back.

…

Ben dodged left as a crimson slash cut a wooden support beam for a nearby shack, as it collapsed sending alien-fruit tumbling at their feet, she swung again with an enraged shout but, he needed only dip his nose back an inch to avoid being hit; "I've seen first hand now, what they do to Inquisitors, I know why you are the way you are," he force pushed her back ten feet as she stomped the ground to keep her stance, he flowing black cape billowed behind her, readying to charge at him again, "So, I want you to know this isn't personal," Ben finished.

"Not personal? Don't lie to yourself, you're avenging that dead family," she pointed to the now vacant hut that Wan and June had lived in with the young girl he'd come to know and care for, "I can feel it! I may not be a Sith Lord but, I can still _feel_ it!" Second Sister lifted her mask showing one eye was milky and scars ran down her face, even-more-so than the last time they met but, even so she was clearly unstable mentally, the work of the Empire's brainwashing equipment.

Ben looked back at the house one more time before exhaling as the yellow shade in his eyes faded into blue quickly with the tightening of his grip on his hilt, he looked to the ground for a moment, "I'm angry, yea, but I'm not going to kill you because out of revenge; I'm going to kill you because the force put you in my path, and I put my faith in the force."

"You're losing your mind!" she shouted viciously as she slid her mask back down, preparing to advance.

"Speak for yourself," Ben got in a ready position with two hands on the hilt held at the dominant side, a widened stance ready to strike.

It was quick, if you blinked at the right moment you would have missed it, Second Sister closed the ten-foot-distance between them and crossed crimson with amethyst; she swung right, he swung left, and with speed she couldn't match he caught her saber wielding wrist, slowly crushing it as she looked into his eyes glowing bright blue, not a tinge of darkness. She dropped her saber into the sand, yelping in pain, Ben force pulled it up from the ground as he followed methodically doing one three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin with both crimson and purple saber lights flashing, decapitating her and dropping the hilt at her feet where her head toppled.

Her body fell over lifelessly into the sand as he deactivated his own saber; he looked down at the body, her head in one spot and her body in another but, what did it matter? He was too late, taking one last glance at Wan and June's hut, he was too late, _again_. Ahsoka approached and looked down at her while trying her best to comfort him, "I downloaded some information from their ship's navigation and internal servers, if we comb through enough of it we might find something on Gwen."

Ben grabbed Ahsoka and pulled her in for a quick hug, "Thank you," he expressed with gratitude he could never properly convey.

"I don't think we should stay here; we need to get off world before they send reinforcements," Ahsoka and Ben shared a similar grin as they both had the same thought at the same time, it isn't like they dropped out of the sky onto Pasaana.

…

They hid themselves as best they could as they moved through the outskirts of the small town; only a few blocks away was a storage garage that they paid for, Ben held their trunk with them as well as only bare necessities, inside the garage was a massive star-ship lock up, large enough to hold multiple space-crafts per unit as well as equipment to service those ships; Ahsoka approached the gate and typed in a six-digit entry code, "I've been remodeling and upgrading her since we put her in storage all those years ago," they sprinted toward their unit, which held their personal vessel, where there was another code needed, she knew it and time was of the essence so watching the orange tinted shutters slowly rise from the ground was incredibly annoying, the ship though was worth the reveal.

"I present to you..." They slipped into the garage where she revealed her CR90 Corvette star-cruiser, "The Silver Angel!" she presented their old ship only with a new engine, several modifications to the hull and the space within, new designs painted on the outside to look like white angel wings, and the interior was a sight to behold beyond that, luxury Ben had forgotten existed.

"You knew we would leave eventually, didn't you?" Ben smiled as he looked around at the fully functioning control center with holographic projectors, high-tech navigation equipment, and more, "And you named it?"

"Eventually, yea," Ahsoka smiled, reminiscing on a fond memory of a fond friend as she looked over the gleaming silver ship, "And, what? Angels grant miracles, and we're gonna need one if we're going to take down your cousin."

…

Review!


	17. Chapter 17

I don't own Ben 10 or Star Wars/Disney (Obviously.)

**One Week Later**

**Ajan Kloss**

The trek to the distant planet where Ben first found his stranded cousin was a long one, however; it was necessary for their plan to work. Ben had spent months upon months during his time on Pasaana trying to come up with a way to remove Gwen from the equation without killing her, he couldn't allow her to roam free now that she was actively working to hunt and murder force sensitive children. It was already dumbfounding that the Gwen he knew would order the deaths of innocent children; he just couldn't imagine having to take her life either, so he pulled every string he had, every string Ahsoka had, every debt, every favor, in search of a different method of beating Gwen. Even after Ben spent months doing calculations on where the precise coordinates for Earth would be, based on the interstellar maps he already had and the ones he made when he first arrived on Jakku, they still had no possible way of crossing said distance.

It wasn't until they met a 'pirate queen' by the name of Maz Kanata who was a genius mechanic and engineer as well as a collector of rare antiquities; she had the answer to all of their problems tucked away in her massive thousand year old castle.

As Ahsoka approached the planets surface using the same coordinates they used last time, she landed the Silver Angel in the same field where they first trained over half a decade ago; after locking down the ship and flipping a few switches leaving the engine to idle, she spun around in her pilot's seat facing Ben. He faced the door with his cloak flipped over his head as he opened the landing hatch where a platform lowered into the dirt, "Are you sure you want to go alone?" she asked without standing up.

Ahsoka couldn't see his face as he looked out, some of the trees he had chopped down in his last battle with Darth Vader were still there, sprouting from where they were sliced years ago; he looked over his shoulder at her but, didn't look her in the eyes, "I'll be fine, don't wait up for me," Ben strolled down the metallic walkway as his boots imprinted on the wet soil, it didn't much bother him though taking only a single glance at his muddy boots before continuing to walk. Ahsoka approached the doorway slowly holding her elbows, looking around as most of the area had been flooded since they were last there, likely from immense rainfall over the years, she couldn't imagine him finding it now that it had been abandoned for so long. Sighing loudly as she watched him vanish into the brush, she leaned on the door frame and muttered, "Good luck," as the platform retracted into the ship becoming the door that sealed its hull.

Ben followed the path he remembered as best he could, he'd used it for training and, at some point, he and Ahsoka would use the waterfall where Gwen first landed as a fresh-water spring. His cloak kept him relatively dry spite the grey skies sprinkling water across the jungle, he was lucky this planet never produced acid-rain.

He didn't really think he would ever actually willingly come back here, especially with these intentions in mind, as he could only reminisce on that night, where he found his cousin hiding from the bounty hunters who wanted her dead. He stepped through the mud and brushed his hand over a severed tree stump about shoulder height to him, he couldn't tell if it was his perfect memory or the force but, he knew for a fact he personally cut the trunk down himself that night. He didn't, at the time, know who he was saving but, he could feel the killing intent of the men after her and needed to act even if he didn't know why. Perhaps, if he had done nothing that night, Chachi, Wan, June, Lux, and everyone Gwen has hurt since then would still be alive? But, Gwen wouldn't, and he just couldn't shake how _wrong_ that felt to him, every year of his life he shared Birthdays with her and now he felt responsible for her fall from greatness. She did come to this place looking for him, after all.

Something cracked as he stepped on it, unlike a branch, it made a sound that was distinct to the hardened marrow in dried bones; he looked down and sighed, one of the hunters he killed most likely. Ben took his boot off the dead man's skull and sighed audibly, looking around and simply continuing his way, he pulled on the edge of his cloak in exasperation. This was the last place in the Galaxy he wanted to be and yet, here he was, doing the last thing he pictured himself doing, to get to the one place he never really wanted to return to.

He reached the opposite end of a cliff, looking up where there once was a constant flow of water pouring into the ravine was now just a large pond and something had totally blocked off the falls; Ben closed his eyes focusing on the night Gwen handed him his watch.

_Ben was taken aback, pulling down his hood and revealing his face in the pale moon-light, "Dweeb?" he held his hand out for her to grab, to help her up so, she hesitantly took it with her singed arm which he grabbed her forearm to avoid causing more pain, "Who did this to you?" he looked over the severe burns closely as she stood._

_"I think I should be the one asking questions here," she noted as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes and reached into her bag, "But, before we say anything else, I brought you something…" she rummaged for a few seconds, pulling out the emerald-green wrist watch with silver trim, the Omnitrix._

_He looked down at the glimmering device in her hand, almost in shock to see it again, taking it into his hands slowly as if it were fragile, he felt the sides of it and took slow blinks, likely reminiscing; but, suddenly without responding to the gesture, he chucked the watch over his shoulder and into the water, "If that's all you had to say…" he trailed off and passed her back toward his camp-sight, "You should follow me, your arm needs better treatment."_

He turned around with his hand on his chin, he stroked his beard for a second before turning around to face the way he came from, looking down at his empty hand and turning his head over his shoulders, he tossed an imaginary object behind him but, he couldn't get a good fix on it even as he turned to see where it may have landed.

Ben looked at the mud, scanning for the perfect object, finally he grabbed a rock and tossed it a foot or two in the air, feeling out its weight. He turned around again and tossed it behind him, this time he heard the splash and watched as it sank to the bottom where darkness consumed it.

He had a pretty good idea of where it was now, given that nobody had interfered with it since he last got rid of it, probably not his smartest moment but, he was trying to make a point to his cousin at the time, as much good as _that_ did him. He approached the shoreline that led into the waters and held his hand out, palm facing down over the waters, Ben closed is eyes and focused on the binding energy all around him. If there was anything that he'd learned in the last eight years, its that the force exists everywhere, from the darkest corners of a planet to the furthest reaches of the Universe.

The water began to stir as a small amount of bubbles surfaced, showing he was indeed gripping something down there and if his instincts were right, it was exactly what he was looking for; a few minutes go by and slowly, covered in moss and drenched in water, the pristine emerald wristwatch was completely intact without a scratch. It floated over the water and into his hands, "Azmuth sure knows how to make a watch," he looked over the paint as it hadn't faded in the slightest even after years of soaking in mud and water.

…

Ahsoka tapped her fingers on the holo-deck in the center of the ship, displaying an in depth map of the star-system, scrolling through different systems to find the one they knew was their next destination; one of the planets Ahsoka considered hiding out on after Order 66 was executed was the forest world of Takodana but, it was mere luck that she ended up on Jakku as otherwise she'd never have met the love of her life.

Now Takodana would be their next mission, visiting Maz Kanata's castle once again to see how the device Ben commissioned was coming along; she remembered the day they stumbled upon what they thought was entirely possible three years ago.

"_When Ahsoka told me what you were looking for, I laughed for a very long time," Maz Kanata spoke as she hobbled through a corridor leading down to a larger room at the end of the hall, "But, after giving it much thought, I think it may be possible after all," she turned around and placed her four fingers on a scanner about three feet off the ground, meant clearly for her height, opening large silver vault doors that led into a garage of sorts._

_Ben and Ahsoka followed behind her, hidden beneath cloaks and without their lightsabers, they looked around at the massive storage unit that held dozens of finished and unfinished devices; Maz led them to the back where two massive fixtures were draped in cloth and layered in dust stood identical to one another._

"_These are prototype teleporter pads but, the transceivers need to be linked, otherwise you cant go anywhere," she explained pulling the cloaks off the pods, revealing them to be only seven feet by four, just enough room for two people to stand in._

_Ahsoka looked over, "So, the only place we can teleport to is that pod right there," she pointed at the pad to the left, "That doesn't seem useful at all."_

_Maz chuckled, "Which is why I laugh in your face," she turned around and held out a tablet that showed them some data but, they definitely couldn't understand what it said, "Technically, you can go anywhere you want but, to come back is a different story."_

"_What do you mean?" Ben asked for the first time._

_Maz looked over her tablet as she stepped over to the pod on her right, "If you know the exact coordinates of where you want to go, you can go but, there is no transceiver to bring you back to this one," she hobbled over and placed a hand on the left pod._

"_What if you made portable transceivers? Like belts or watches or…"_

_Maz interrupted him, "Also possible but, distance is power and the further you go the less time the transceiver has before it short-circuits."_

"_What if we wanted to cross into a different Galaxy?" Ben asked abruptly again, as Ahsoka eyed him with a raised brow._

_Maz looked down at the tablet, "Distance is power, to disassemble your molecular structure on the atomic level and reconstitute you safely at that distance _plus_ the return trip would take immense levels of power."_

"_More than a kyber in a lightsaber?" Ahsoka asked as it was one of the most powerful energy sources she knew of._

_Maz scoffed, "More than a thousand kyber crystals…"_

_Ben was silent as he stroked his beard in deep thought; "I don't think there's anything in this Galaxy with that much power," Ahsoka mentioned as she linked her arm with his, pulling him from his thoughts._

"_I can think of one…" Ben noted as he recalled Ajan Kloss and the item he'd discarded there, he knew it wasn't connected to Primus but, it still had a power source that could wipe out the Universe if charged for just a few days, it was the only option he could think of, "The Omnitrix," he turned to Ahsoka and looked into her clear azure eyes, "I know I ditched it on another planet but, it could work."_

_Maz interrupted them promptly, "Only if you get the exact coordinates of where you want to go and on the chance that I can produce transceivers for both of you."_

"_Right…" Ben chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "How long do you think that would take?"_

"_Months, maybe years, if you put a deposit down I'll have it here when its finished whether you come back next year or in a hundred," Maz placed the tablet down on a work-bench and faced them, "I'm over a thousand years old, I've got nothing but time," she assured them._

"_If you say so," Ben shrugged and nudged Ahsoka who was suddenly reminded of the small tablet she held with her, usually left on the ship but, they didn't have enough physical credits for an order like this so they needed to transfer the payment digitally._

"_Right," Ahsoka tapped a few buttons on the blue screen which made a humming noise each time she tapped, after a minute or two of this, Maz's holographic tablet vibrated and sent out an alert._

_Ben noticed on the wall to the far left was a line of wanted posters in Galactic-Basic which had everyone missing from Order 66 from Obi-Wan to Ahsoka and even himself plastered along with a dozen others, "You know who we are?"_

_She turned to face the wall he was staring at and chuckled, Maz grabbed the magnifying lens of her glasses and pulled them off revealing tiny, shriveled, pupils, "I received Obi-Wan Kenobi's final message after Order 66 and even arranged for a discreet transport to Tatooine for him; I have lived through wars before but," she looked down for a moment before returning her gaze to the married couple, "Now I have the ability to help, I provide sanctuary and assistance to Jedi of all kind."_

_Ahsoka interrupted, "We aren't Jedi, though."_

_Maz smiled, "Any enemy of the Empire is a friend of mine."_

"_I'll take care of everything, you just need to bring the power source to integrate," She announced as she grabbed her tablet and looked over her earnings before returning her gaze upwards to them both, "You two make a very cute couple, very cute," they both blushed as she hobbled off._

Ahsoka was snapped from her recollection when she heard something approaching from outside the ship; she could sense the flow of energy that closed in on her so, she opened the hatch willingly and with a smile.

Ben waited for the metallic platform to reach the ground before stepping onboard, "Did you find it?"

"Took almost an hour but, yea," he turned around and flashed her the watch which he'd cleaned the mud and grime off of in the ravine he found it in, "Still looks brand new."

Ahsoka took a few steps forward, looking the watch over she blinked a few times, he'd told so many stories about his adventures with this device, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ben looked down at it and clutched it tightly in his hand, "It's our only option; I'll do whatever it takes to stop her, Ahsoka. Whatever it takes."

…

**Takodana**

Ben and Ahsoka landed the Silver Angel in a parking lane atop the castle they recognized, which hadn't changed a bit in over three years, two guards led them in as they were escorted to a cantina of sorts.

One of the armored guards holding spears turned to Ahsoka, looking her in the eyes, "Maz will be with you shortly, wait here."

Ahsoka nodded as Ben looked around at the people mingling in the bar around them, an alien with over five limbs multi-tasked behind the counter as a bartender cleaning glasses, pouring drinks and smoking a 'death-stick' which seemed to be a mix of chemicals that acted a lot like cigarettes around the shadier parts of the Galaxy.

"This place was empty last time we came…" he noted.

She folded her arms across her vest, "We gave her enough credits to build _two_ castles, this bar must be a front for her less than legal activities… if the Imperial Empire knew she was assisting escaping Jedi, let alone us, this whole city would be torn asunder."

"True enough," Ben noted as he imagined the siege on Pasaana happening again on this planet because of their interference, "Hopefully we don't lead any Imperial agents to this location so long as we keep a low profile," He was frightened by the idea but, he shook the thought when he felt Ahsoka wrap her fingers intertwined with his.

He smiled as from below Maz approached the entrance to the bar, "I thought I might never see you two again, come now, everything should be ready," she hobbled quite slowly but it was to be expected from the orange-skinned ancient, she was likely older than even Master Yoda, "I finished the devices you requested with preprogrammed coordinates to take you to the second pod right here."

They walked into her garage which had been mostly cleared out but, still was littered with new projects and unfinished machinery; leading them to the pods, she gestured towards a work bench where two belts sat with a three hour time limit displayed brightly on a digital clock, "It looks more like a bomb."

"If you try to stay beyond the time limit, it might as well be," she tapped the digital screen and looked up at them with her large magnified eyes, "You two have three hours before these become very expensive clothing accessories," she looked back towards the pod and approached the singular screen between both the right and left teleporter, "Did you bring the coordinates, they need to be exact down to the thirty-second decimal."

Ben reached into his cloak pocket and grabbed a piece of paper which had the calculations on it, "We got as close as we could get, that should at least be Earth, I can take it from there."

Ahsoka pulled Ben to the side as he handed her the sheet and she started inputting coordinates; she looked around spotting her wanted sign on the wall adjacent to them again, "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, going home? I was sure you'd never actually want to go through with this."

"I told you there's only one way I know I can take Gwen out of the picture without killing her and it's on Earth," Ben held her hands as he turned his head over his shoulder, "Maz, I can bring something back with me right? Like something that fits in my hand?"

Maz didn't look away from the screen, "Anything bigger than a bread-box will be warped into your DNA permanently bonding your atoms together."

"Perfect," Ben announced putting his hands on his hips.

Ahoska raised her brow, putting a hand on his shoulder she sighed, "Perfect? Ben, you still haven't told me what it is we're trying to get; how can it be small enough to fit in your hand but, enough to beat Gwen _without_ killing her?"

Ben placed a hand on his own shoulder, over her scarred fingers, he gave her a warm smile, "Trust me, I don't want to go any more than you do but, we have to; we're going after a Null Void projector."

"A what?"

Ben chuckled a bit, "This is why I didn't mention it before, the Null Void is an alternate dimension that acts like a prison; to send her there I need a projector which is currently being held by my grandfather in his old rusty motor home."

"So, you intend to trap her there, stopping her from hurting people without killing her," Ahsoka put the pieces together as she pulled her hand back from his shoulder, nervously playing with her fingers, "And so you found a way home but, what if while you're there you… want to stay?"

He sighed and grabbed her hands in his, encompassing them with his palms, bringing her closer by pulling her palms up to his face, placing a kiss on their connected hands, "I don't care where in the Universe I end up, so long as it's with you; even if that means giving up a chance to go home."

A tear welled up in her eyes, she was certainly moved by his words but, she couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness, "What if we run into your family, what do we tell them about us?"

"Ahsoka Tano…" Ben announced pulling his hands back, "You've known me for the better part of a decade, have I ever been anything but transparent?"

She giggled with her hand covering her mouth, "I suppose you have."

Maz Kanata finished her calculations and stepped away from the screen; "Time for the power source, you said you had something specific in mind?"

Ben reached into his cloaked pocket and handed unveiled the Omnitrix, "Here," he said as he twisted the faceplate three or four times, it being deactivated and disconnected from primus for so long made the mechanics relatively easy to maneuver. He pulled the core out and laid the wristband on the table, handing Maz the Omnitrix core which sparked with emerald electricity.

She quickly hobbled over to her workbench, examining it under some light, "This is definitely some very powerful technology, this comes from that other Galaxy you talked about?"

"It's rare where I come from too, a one of a kind device," Ben said almost remembering his hero times fondly but, there was a much bigger mission to handle now and if that meant removing the Omnitrix from his life forever than so-be-it, "Will it work?"

"Oh," Maz turned around holding it up, "It will work alright but, using it to return will fry everything, my circuit boards, the teleporters, even this," she gestured to the Omnitrix core

Ben sighed looking at the piece of Galvan tech, he closed his eyes taking a deep breath, "That's fine, so long as it gets us safely there and back."

"Good," Maz returned to the screen between the teleporters and placed the core in the center of a fixture which tightened to hold the power source in place; the entire room shook as the two pods hummed to life and an emerald light lined the entire identical structures, "You can take your armor and lightsabers but, the amount of electronics should be limited if your bringing something back."

Ben and Ahsoka nodded unholstering their blasters from their belts, also leaving behind small communicators and the keys to her ship which she trusted to Maz who already got too much money and business from her to bother with the Silver Angel. They removed their cloaks leaving them in only a single layer of clothes with Ben's white repurposed stormtrooper armor and Ahsoka's blue sleeveless beskar vest and pants.

Maz handed them each their own belt with a simple strap-on design, as they fastened it tightly, she explained, "The timer will start as soon as you successfully jump and when it stops it will attempt a return jump," she tapped the screens now just above their pelvis, "Don't jostle them too much either, I suppose running is fine but, if it get's damaged you could be stuck for good."

"Great, that's reassuring," Ahsoka announced as she slid her fingers over the sliver trim of her belt, "Let's just get this over with…"

Ben and Ahsoka stood close together as Maz closed the pod from the outside; he noticed her playing nervously with her lekku when Ben reached to intertwine their fingers once again, something they'd learned to do when in stressful situations, just knowing she had someone to hold on to was comforting. "See you in three hours… hopefully," Maz didn't allow time for them to contest that last part as she flipped a switch that bathed them in green particles which whisked them away at unfathomable speeds, far beyond any hyperspace travel.

…

**Earth; Downtown Bellwood; January 12****th****, 2019; 3:45PM**

Ben and Ahsoka materialized in the middle of an open warehouse with large crates surrounding them, it took them only a few seconds to notice the men in gleaming silver armor pushing around said crates on high-tech floating carts. They were momentarily obscured by the crates around them, as they let go of each other's hands, Ahsoka stepped behind Ben as she was totally out of her element.

He glanced around noticing exactly who they were, "These guys are called Forever Knights, they steal alien technology and sell it to the highest bidder," he whispered as best he could as they backed into a corner where they couldn't be seen.

Ahsoka tugged on his arm as he leaned back to listen, "Ben, I can't sense a connection to the force, not at all."

"I thought that might be a problem…" Ben muttered to himself as one of the knights turned the corner, coming face to face with them.

"Halt!" He shouted once before Ben grabbed his helmeted head, slammed it over his knee, loosening it enough to remove it as the stunned man backed away, he was quickly knocked out with the bunt of his own helmet. The sound of his loud iron armor clanking on the ground echoed through the warehouse, alarming anyone who hadn't noticed them to their presence.

Ben grabbed Ahsoka's wrist and made his way to the exit, running along the walls looking for one as he still remembered basic human architecture, "There should be a door here somewhere… I told you we got the coordinates right!"

"Now is not the time for an 'I told you so,' Ben!" Ahsoka shouted as they finally found a bright sign with the title 'exit' in neon crimson, thankfully for them even criminals get inspections from fire-marshals. They were intercepted by what seemed to be the entirety of the group present in the warehouse, about ten men with their energy weapons pointed at them.

"Don't move!" one of them shouted as their weapons primed, humming to life with a red glow emanating from the barrel of their rifles, laser lances, Ben was familiar with them even after all this time so he knew there was nothing to worry about.

He slowly reached for his belt but, one of the trigger-happy knights fired his weapon forcing Ben to act quickly, igniting his bright amethyst blade which deflected the beam of crimson into the wall juxtaposed to them, sending a plume of smoke out and revealing sunlight over a bustling street of cars, luckily the sidewalk happened to be clear at the moment.

Ahsoka took a step out from behind Ben and activated her bright-blue lightsaber, holding the hilt with her reverse Jar'kai grip, narrowing her eyes at the knights. At first, she was a bit hesitant but, Ben didn't seem afraid of them in the slightest so, she tried to imitate his confidence even in a place she was totally unfamiliar with.

The bystanders didn't see what happened within but, they did notice an explosion take a chunk out of the wall and a man in silver armor flying out of the building colliding with the roof of a car, making a sizeable dent in it as he fell to his knees.

Through the smoke, one of the knights attempted to grab Ben from behind as he quickly reacted by breaking the man's wrist and tossing him overhead onto his back; he quickly dislocated his shoulder and ducked under a blast of energy that destroyed a wooden crate behind him. Ben did miss his super-powers, one way or another, but he didn't mind making due with what he had; another of the knights pulled the trigger on his weapon as fast as he could, firing off bolt after bolt of energy which Ben had no problem countering with his lightsaber. He walked through the attacks, casually deflecting anything that threatened him, until he was face to face with the him; the knight swung his laser lance as some sort of melee attack but, the weapon was cleaved through with little effort as two smoldering pieces of metal clattered on the ground.

The knight was quiet for a moment but, this was because he was waiting for the knight behind him to wrap a laser powered wire around Ben's neck, who wished he had his force sense to detect the intent of enemies. He settled for stabbing his saber into the man's armored leg, letting out a high-pitched scream, he didn't feel much for long as he was tossed overhead into the knight standing in front of him.

Meanwhile, two knights wielded crimson-energy swords, metallic blades layered in energy to enhance its striking force; Ahsoka carved right through their swords as if they were made of butter with her lightsaber, kicking the shocked knight in the chest so hard he flew back hitting the concrete wall leaving a petite boot-print in his armor. She was still super-human without the force, so she quickly back flipped ten feet into the air and over a knight who attempted to swing at her from behind. While he was distracted, she swung left horizontally attempting to cut the attacker in half but, was stopped by a purple blade crossing with hers.

They exchanged a short dialogue, "No killing here," Ben said quickly as he ducked under a knight's electrified mace and roundhoused him into the ground, "Please."

Ahsoka nodded dutifully with a short smile, understanding him immediately, the knight who tried attacking her had turned around as Ben retracted his blade and swung it towards his own fight which spilled outdoors. She was alone with the last knight wielding a sword as he swung left and right, continuing to miss her until she ducked under one of his swings and tripped him flat onto his face. He looked up once more from the ground before seeing Ahsoka standing above him as she kicked him across the face, knocking him unconscious.

Ben was outside having already knocked three knights out, he was left with only two more with swinging electrified mace's; the cars were abandoned as now the civilians had run from the scene, some still watching from afar and recording with their phones. One of the knights swung his mace down as Ben flipped through the air, severed the chain-link to his weapon, and landed behind them in one movement. The broken chain now dangling from the spiked mace embedded in the asphalt, the second man turned and swung left as Ben simply ducked and allowed him to hit his unarmed partner in the back, knocking him out.

The knight prepared to swing downward on Ben with the mace once again, not that it would have helped but, he was cut short as a blast of energy hit him in the torso, sending him back first into another car and knocking that vehicle off its four wheels onto its side, if not for his armor the man would be dead.

"Oops," Ahsoka chuckled looking over the laser lance, "I didn't think it was that strong."

"I told you no killing!" Ben shouted as his lightsaber retracted, he gazed around as Ahsoka approached him in the street, he saw three kids ducking behind a dumpster, aiming their phones at them which seemed far different than the last time he owned one, regardless it meant they were being recorded and the last thing he wanted was to make a spectacle.

"I'm sorry! He's not dead, he's fine!" she noted as Ben nearly facepalmed, "What do we do?" Ahsoka asked as she looked around at the tall buildings and cars, one of the fire hydrants next to the building had been struck by a mace and suddenly exploded, sending the metal cap flying and shooting water fifteen feet into the air.

Ben narrowed his eyes as a car alarm went off nearby and the sound of police sirens echoed from the distance, "Let's get out of sight, I know two places the projector will be, let's just hope it's the first," deactivating his saber, his wife followed his example as to draw less attention.

They distanced themselves from the crowd that was slowly growing, turning into an alleyway, they ran down to the end of it and effortlessly jumped over a large chain-fence; as they turned the corner leaving the scene out of sight, the authorities arrived.

Four police cruisers and a single pearl-white SUV with emerald trim pulled into the street as they closed it off to the public for investigation; two men stepped out of the SUV being one elderly man and one much younger, closer to Ben's age.

Dusting off his Hawaiian-print button up as he approached, the old-man scanned the area as his partner made his way inside, "Should I lock down the area for a full scan, sir?" one of the officers asked him as he looked around at the damage, something felt familiar to him.

"Yes, and remind Agent Levin that he shouldn't be contaminating a crime scene before its been scanned," he said it loud enough so as to project his voice at his younger partner that exited the vehicle with him.

Levin stood up from looking over the severed Forever Knight weapon before dropping it and dusting his hands off, "I was just examining evidence, Max, these Forever Knights had laser lances stockpiled in this warehouse."

"What's your point?"

Kevin stood up nearly a foot taller than Max as he approached one of the damaged cars and looked over the chain that was severed by Ben's saber, "Laser lances are level five technology, whatever diced up these weapons, had to be level eleven or higher."

"Notice something else," Max said as Kevin stood up to face the scene beside his partner, "All of these knights, beaten into the ground but, none of them are dead and CSI will do inventory but, I don't see anything stolen either."

Kevin rubbed his chin, now sporting a goatee, "So if not a murder spree or robbery, why were they hit? Do you we have any security footage?"

"I'm sure they coincidentally have it under maintenance whenever they're working on shipments like these," Max noted with his decades of experience with intergalactic and interplanetary weapons smugglers.

…

**Earth; East-Bellwood; January 12****th**** 2019; 4:30PM**

Ben approached a small villa with a bright white picket fence and sign that read 'mobile home and recreational park' standing just outside its borders, "How do you know your grandfather still parks his vehicle in the same place after all of these years?"

"He's a creature of habit but, if he is there just… don't eat anything he offers you," Ben replied as they made their way through the mobile home park where different recreational vehicles were parked with tents and barbeques laid out all around, this was exactly how he remembered his grandfather.

"We only have a little less than two hours left so, I doubt we'll have time for anything like that anyways," Ahsoka noted looking down at her belt that sported the exact time they had left on this planet down to the second, "How far are we from it?"

"It should be just up this block to the left, he said he loved the shade of this really big oak tree and so he bought the lot instead of renting," they tried to walk as fast as they could as Ahsoka was sort of an eyesore in these parts, luckily she was cloaked but, passing a family that noticed her under her hood, a child pointed.

"Mommy, mommy; that girl has funny makeup and silly hair!"

Ahsoka looked down at her lekku, covering it up with her cloak as the mother quickly scooped up her child with a smile, "I'm _so_ sorry, the Plumber's just started alien citizenship and Emily doesn't know better yet."

Ahsoka smiled and untensed, pulling back her hood, "It's alright, you have a beautiful child, ma'am," she hummed looking down at the child in her arms.

"Thank you so much," the mother replied rocking her child in her arms, Ben smiled as the mother was a very pleasant woman, "You have a nice day now, say "bye" Emily!" she pulled on her toddler daughter's arm, waving goodbye as the child giggled.

"Bye, Emily!" the toddler shouted with a playful giggle as Ahsoka took a few second to absorb the moment, these people of Earth were actually quite nice, she could imagine why it meant so much for Ben to protect them when he first arrived on Jakku.

They made their way around the corner where a large tan RV with brown trim and small scrapes and dents all around it, the back littered with stickers from the 'best summer vacation ever' as he and Gwen always put it. Ahsoka reached for the door handle but, was stopped by Ben grabbing her wrist before she could touch it, "That won't work, trust me, it may look old and rundown but, it's mostly alien technology."

"What would have happened if I touched it?"

"I'm guessing anyone without fingerprint authorization gets a little zap," he chuckled as he grabbed his lightsaber hilt and spun it between his fingers, igniting the blade and slowly pressing it into the door's lock which melted on contact. Purple sparks flew as he applied more pressure and dug through the door, pulling the door off its hinges by accident.

"It may be a _little_ rundown," Ben noted as he holstered his saber and stepped into the vehicle followed by Ahsoka; the memories flooded his mind as he approached the dashboard, it was cleaner than he remembered and had far more dials and switches.

Ahsoka glanced around and found something hanging on the wall, "Hey, does this shirt mean anything to you?"

He turned around, walking towards the back where in a glass case was an ironed and pressed t-shirt with a single black stripe running through a solid white fabric; the shirt had a golden inscription with the words 'in loving memory of Ben Tennyson.'

Ben ran his fingers over the glass, tears welling in his eyes, "It was the shirt I was wearing the day I found the Omnitrix… I can't believe he kept it," as it streamed down his cheek, Ahsoka quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulder and wiped the tear away with her finger.

He shook his head, walking away and slapping his face a few times, "We're on the clock, no time to be sentimental," he turned and made his way back to the dashboard where he scanned the array of buttons. He flipped a red switch and pressed his thumb down on one of the buttons, if he remembered correctly, he should see the bottom of a cabinet open to reveal a hiding spot for the projector.

It worked as the projector was hidden behind two layers of metal shielding and held in a slot perfectly shaped for it, Ben chuckled, "Like I said, creature of-" as he reached for the gun, a blue bolt of energy struck the cabinet, blowing a chunk of it apart, "Habit?"

They turned with their hands up as Max Tennyson aimed his energy weapon at them, it was just him and a single pistol so, Ben could take him down with ease but, that wasn't what he wanted to do. He quickly glanced at Ahsoka's belt, noticing how much time they have left before looking back to Max, "Who are you two?" he asked.

"This is Ahsoka, she's a good friend of mine," Ben took a step forwards as Max pulled back the hammer of the gun ready to fire again.

"Whoever you are, you need to leave, both of you," he responded as his pistol hummed.

Ben put his hands on his hips, "Grandpa, we both know you're aim isn't what it used to be, and a nine-gauge plasma pistol adds recoil so firing twice in two minutes would probably dislocate your shoulder."

His eyes went wide at the sound of his title as a grandfather being noted to him for the first time in nearly a decade, along with distinct instructions he remembered giving, "How could you possibly know that…"

Ben took another step forwards, placing his hand on the barrel of the gun, slowly pointing it down, "Because you taught me how to use one on my eleventh birthday, you told me not to tell my mom because she'd be furious."

He blinked several times and lowered his weapon, rubbing his eyes out of disbelief, "B-Ben?"

"In the flesh-" he was cut off by Max embracing him, it was odd being taller than his Grandfather who always seemed to stand above him from how he remembered. Max pulled away as tears formed in his eyes, he grabbed Ben's face gently.

"You've grown so much, the handsome young man I knew you would be," He started as suddenly, every question he ever had came flooding in at once, "I can't believe it, I don't know where to start, w-where have you been? What happened to your cousin?" he looked over at Ahsoka, "Who is this, again?"

"I should start by saying I don't have a lot of time," he pointed down to the belt counting down nearly an hour from their mandatory departure, "Once this belt reaches zero, I have to leave again."

Max blinked and stared at the ground, "I see…" he rubbed his neck awkwardly as Ahsoka suddenly could tell where Ben picked up the habit, "Please, sit down, have some water or… I just made a squid-egged pie if you'd like a slice…"

The three of them sat down in a booth in the center of the room, "We're good, thanks Grandpa."

Max reached out and grabbed his grandson's hand, "Where did you _go_, son?" he looked over Ben's scarred face, his weary eyes, and the beard he'd grown was fully matured.

"It's a long story but, I was teleported across the Universe to another Galaxy, I landed on a planet without my Omnitrix and if it weren't for Ahsoka I would have died there," he motioned to her sitting beside him as Max glanced over at her, looking her up and down.

"I've never seen your species before, you must _really_ be from across the Universe," Maxwell noted having been an intergalactic officer for the majority of his life, he had pretty good recollection of most common species amongst the Plumber data base.

"It's nice to meet you, sir, your grandson speaks very highly of you," still in shock, it took Max a few seconds to shake her hand even as she held it out, "It's okay, I understand this may be a lot to take in."

Ben leaned in closer, "I knew that if I was going to run into anyone, it needed to be you; you're the only one that understands this type of thing," Max smiled at this as he looked down at the table, it's nice that he was held in such a high regard by his Grandson.

"And I'm guessing there isn't a chance you're ever coming back?"

Ben was silent, sitting back in his seat, he looked up at the ceiling of the Rustbucket, "There's a good reason, we need to talk about Gwen."

Max sighed, thinking back nearly seven years, "Well she vanished about a year after you left, she spent all of her free time trying to locate you with her magic but, nothing had ever panned out," he reminisced on his the memories he had with his favorite granddaughter, "Then just like you, she disappeared one night."

"I know _exactly_ where she is, Grandpa; I found her out there, she accidently opened a portal that dropped her as close to my location as she could get," Ben explained as he looked down at his fingers, tapping the table nervously, "I really don't have the time to explain in detail but, she's been infected… _possessed_ by something evil and it's got her…" they didn't notice he was crying until the tears dripped down his chin onto the table, "It's got her _really_ tight Grandpa, and I just don't… I don't know what else to do."

Ahsoka reached out and put a hand over his, wrapping her fingers tightly with his and comforting him; Grandpa Max saw this and immediately noticed their matching silver rings, deducing several things, "You came here to steal my Null Void projector to use it on Gwen?"

"I tried reasoning with her, I tried fighting her, I tried even tried trapping her but," he closed his eyes and grabbed his mentors hand with his free arm, "She's killing people, innocent children, she almost killed me several times and it's my fault she's like this!"

"Slow down, son, take a breath," Max stood up and made his way to the cabinet, grabbing the gun and placing it on the counter before opening the fridge and pouring a glass of water, handing it to him as he sat back down.

Ben read his own belt and still had about an hour left before he started chugging water, "Whatever Gwen is doing, she's still your cousin, there has to be some good left in her."

He shook his head, putting down the glass after a long gulp, "This is different, I can't get through to her, she had children _massacred_ right in front of me…" he said with a tear rolling down his face again.

Max sighed with an exasperated tone, "This is a lot of information to process in thirty minutes, Ben."

"Well, I was going to just take it and go without being seen but… I guess this is probably better, to let you know that I'm okay," Ben smiled as did his Grandfather, Ahsoka simply sat in silence with a smile and watched the reunion.

"Are you going to introduce me to your wife?"

Ben nearly choked on his own spit, "I, uhm, what?"

Max folded his arms as Ahsoka chuckled, "I've been an officer for intergalactic law enforcement my entire life and you think I can't tell when my own Grandson is in love?"

"Ahsoka Tano," she said as she reintroduced herself, "I've been married to your grandson for about five years now, he told me his only regret that day was not having you there."

Ben's cheeks heated up but, he didn't hesitate to smile, "I brought this with me," he noted as he pulled from underneath his armor a holographic disc, "I have one in my ship but I made a copy or two so I wanted you to have it," he slid it across the table to him as Max activated it with a touch, displaying Ahsoka and Ben's wedding day, a two second looping clip of them kissing, it wasn't in great detail but, he accepted it anyways.

"Thank you, it's more than I could have asked for," Max looked over to Ahsoka, "And I have to say, you have amazing taste in alien women, you must get it from my side of the family."

Ahsoka giggled, covering her mouth with one hand, "He's told me about his alien heritage, I find it ironic myself."

"Now," Ben sighed with his eyes closed and leaned back to glance over towards the counter where sat the Null Void projector, "We should discuss the Gwen situation, we _are_ on borrowed time here."

Max scratched his neck and gave a long sigh with as much stress as Ben's, "Look, I've been in the game long enough to know that the safety of the innocent has to come first, if what you say is true and Gwen is too far gone… I think you need to do whatever it takes to put her down," a tear welled up in one of his eyes as he said it, his voice almost cracking.

"Hopefully, it won't come to that, I mean the Null Void is a prison she can't ever escape from, right?" Ben asked.

Max cleared his throat, trying not to dwell on the thought of Gwen being trapped with the thousands of prisoners the Plumber's had trapped there over the decades, "Well, if you manage to get her _in_ there, it should be an inescapable dimension."

Ben looked back down to his hands, playing with his fingers again, "I tried to steer her away from the darkness, I _really_ did but, she just kept sinking deeper into it. There was nothing I could do."

"I don't blame you, son, the only person I can blame is myself; I saw she was becoming obsessed with finding you and I didn't say anything," Max looked back up at the ceiling of his RV, "Maybe if I was there for her more she wouldn't have done something so risky."

"Sir," Ahsoka spoke up, even against her better judgement, "I promise you we'll do everything in our power to turn her back to the light before we resort to using that weapon," she looked into his eyes with a fiery determination, "She killed a good friend of mine, and many people more than that but, I still believe there is good in everyone, no matter what Galaxy she's from."

Ben smiled putting a hand on her arm for comfort as Max gave them both a satisfying smile, "Thank you, Ahsoka, that means a great deal to me," he stood up and grabbed the projector off the counter and handed it to Ben as they both stood up, noticing their belts only had less than five minutes and counting.

Ben looked down at the weapon and gave a long exhale, "It's… uh… it's a bit heavier than I expected," he muttered metaphorically, feeling the weight of what he was going to use this weapon for.

"Remember, you can't let your judgement be clouded by your emotions, you need to do whats sensible and whats for the greater good," Max pulled Ben into an embrace as he reciprocated, holding him tightly, "I'm glad we had this talk before you head off on your adventure."

"Trust me, if we could stay, we would…" They separated as Ben gripped the handle of the projector and aimed it at the door, feeling out the weapons frame, "But, Gwen is my responsibility and I have to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else."

"I understand, do you want me to tell your parents what happened?"

Ben lowered the gun and looked away, "Tell them that I'm safe, tell them that Gwen is safe, that she's with me and that we're safe. I don't want them to know what she became."

"I'll tell them," he responded with a nod as the last thirty seconds of on the timer ticked down towards zero, "Goodbye, son."

"Bye, Grandpa," he grabbed Ahsoka's hand with his free one and intertwined their fingers one last time as the energy cascaded down around them. The timer hit zero and an emerald light exploded, reminding Max of the days where Ben would transform from creature to creature. When the light dispersed, they were gone and Max was left alone, he sat for a moment to ponder what he'd just been told but, all he could do was cry.

…

**Takodana**

Ben and Ahsoka were reassembled molecule by molecule in the left teleporter pod, they were relieved to be in one piece but, didn't have much time to celebrate as their belts simultaneously exploded in a cascade of sparks. They shouted and rushed out of the pod, removing them and tossing the belts across the room to burst into flames without hurting them; after a few seconds of glancing around to regain their equilibrium, Maz Kanata walked back into the room with a smile on her face, "I hope it was worth it!" she shouted as she hobbled at a rushed pace to grab the nearest fire-dampening blanket, tossing it over the belts to snuff out the flames.

Turning back towards the pods, they too sent bright sparks out from within its wiring, including from the socket holding the Omnitrix core; Ben took a step forwards as the sparks exploded in short bursts, becoming less frequent. He looked closely at the core without touching it, analyzing it and noticing it had become corroded through its circuitry; effectively frying it completely, "I guess it really was a one way trip..." he muttered.

"That's what I told you!" Maz shouted as she pulled the core out of its socket with a pair of relatively large tongs, dumping it in a trashshoot nearby, "I hope you got whatever you went looking for."

Ben pulled the Null Void projector gun from the back of his waistband, looking over it, there didn't seem to be any visible damage; he flipped off the safety and turned the weapon on as it hummed to life, the handle had a knob at the end that flashed yellow signifying it being operational, "Yup, now all we need is to find Gwen again."

Maz Kanata dusted off her hands and set down the iron tongs as Ahsoka turned to her and spoke up, "You wouldn't happen to have knowledge on Sith trade routes, would you?"

She scoffed, "I know a lot of things but, I can't work miracles, dear," she picked a box of spare parts off her work bench and hauled it to the corner as Ben looked down to his own arm, flexing his hand as blue sparks of electricity coursed through his veins, pumping his muscles with extra energy.

"What about Sith Lords using darkside magicks? Ben spoke up, feeling out his charged arm as he quickly dispersed his energy, simply missing the feeling of having an unlimited energy source at his disposal; Ahsoka watched as Maz stopped mid-walk, slowly striding to the nearest counter-top and putting down her box before turning back to them and lifting up her glasses.

She glanced between them two, narrowing her eyes at them as she looked over the scars on Ben's face and the long scar running down Ahsoka's hand, "You two have met her already, haven't you?"

"We're... _responsible_ for what she became," Ahsoka glanced at her feet in shame.

"Just so we're clear, we're talking about-"

Maz interrupted him mid sentence, "Darth Anodyne," she muttered, tapping her stubby fingers together, "Very scary, very powerful; I've never met her but I once accepted a trade for technology in exchange for a large amount of spice, I sent my men ahead to make the deal for me," she took a step or two forwards, rummaging through a desk with a half dozens drawers filled to the brim with wires and spare parts, "I received a transmission from the meeting which took this recording," finally finding and pulling out a holographic disc, it played as they watched closely.

Ben and Ahsoka glanced at one another before watching it play; the deal seemed to be going off without a hitch until the camera, and likely their ship, shook and someone shouted _"We're being borded!"_

_"By who?"_

Static filled the screen for several seconds as the hull doors opened, at first Ben could swear it was Darth Vader himself standing between two lines of stormtroopers but, it soon became very clear that it was Gwen, layered head to toe in black armor and thick protective fabric; Maz looked away as she ignited her bleeding crimson lightsaber and impaled the first man, bolts from blaster rifles flew by her as she used the force to anticipate and redirect any attack that came at her. She dipped into the ground, as if pencil diving into a portal at her feet, and being ejected upwards behind one of her men, decapitating him with a single swing. The troopers open fired on the smugglers, killing everyone on board and seizing both the technology and the spice, before vanishing just as quickly, "Go back, rewind it..."

Maz tilted her head in confusion, rewinding the recording until Gwen dipped into a portal mid-battle, "There, pause that," freezing just as she was half-way through said opening in space, "What is she doing there?" Ben asked.

"Is it a Sith illusion?" Ahsoka questioned.

Maz shook her head and pulled the holographic projector away from them, "Not Sith, Dathomirian magicks, the only species in the Galaxy still using it are the Nightsisters of Dathomir and I assumed they were all dead."

"General Greivous raided and wiped out the Nightsisters, long before Gwen ever arrived here, who could have taught her?" Ahsoka looked back to Ben who didn't seem too confused.

He turned toward the exit, grabbing his belt and cloak, holstering his blaster and the Null Void projector as Ahsoka followed his example, he spoke as he got ready to leave, "Gwen is a quick study, a prodigy, if she learned special magic on Dathomir, there's a good chance that's where we find our next clue."

"You said you two aren't Jedi, why are you hunting this Sith Lord down then?"

Ben sighed as he passed Maz and approached the doorframe to the exit, looking out at the hallway before sighing down at his shoes, walking away as he did so; Ahsoka strapped her belt to her waist and thanked Maz for her help, "Thank you so much for the help, if we ever need your services again, we'll definitely be in touch!" quickly rushing to follow Ben out of the castle, she couldn't imagine how it must have felt to tell his Grandfather about Gwen, what he needed now was to put this behind him, and she guessed Dathomir was a good a place as any to start.

...

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